


Shattered Glass

by adorablejoker



Series: Broken Steel [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Batjokes, Batman/Joker - Freeform, Everyone Needs A Hug, Healing, How do I tag?, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Joker (DCU)'s Name is Jack, Joker is good, Joker is the hero, Joker/Batman - Freeform, M/M, Minor Character Death, OC Dr Harish, Protective Bruce Wayne, Sexual Content, jack napier - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28482408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adorablejoker/pseuds/adorablejoker
Summary: With Harish still at large and loose in the city, Joker and Batman team up to finally take the good doctor down. With help from those who have been wronged, the city watches with baited breath as villain and hero take to the spotlight. Harish is not easy target and he knows the hearts of his enemies. Joker and Batman will find themselves looking in to the eyes of the devil himself, the question is, who blinks first?
Relationships: Batman/Joker
Series: Broken Steel [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1844047
Comments: 12
Kudos: 42





	1. Jubilation

The party was well underway when Jack found himself on the grand staircase. The tree was still up, silver and white replaced with black and golds. He looked up at the beautiful fairy lights and streamers scattered along the ceiling. He descended into the crowd, slipping around people and making his way to where Bruce was standing, chatting with some older looking men.

"Sorry I'm late," Jack hummed as he slipped an arm around Bruce's own, leaning in to the larger man.

"Jack!" Bruce's smile still didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was real enough to fool the rest of the world, "Don't worry about it, I was just speaking with some of the board members."

"Charmed, gentlemen," Jack smiled, "I'm going to go raid the buffet, need anything?"

"Make sure Jason hasn't eaten all the sweets," Bruce laughed. Jack snickered as he stepped away, New Years was in full swing, much more relaxed than the Christmas Party, with enough alcohol to knock out half the city and more food than what Jack has ever seen in his life. He ran his fingers through the soft blond wig he wore and was careful not to smear the expertly set makeup that hid his pale face.

Christmas had been an uproar after he and Bruce had walked down those stairs arm in arm, their faces now plastered all over the papers and sleazy magazines. There were rumors that Bruce had picked him up from some exotic country and brought him home during his time 'off grid' and some say that Jack was some gold digger that Bruce was playing around with. Jack had been called worse and just let it all run off his back with a laugh, both men using the papers as kindling for the bedroom fireplace. They had turned away interviews for the past week, Bruce saying that he just wanted to spend the holidays with his family and that his new charge needed some time to adjust, he didn't want to start any more drama by letting in the media.

Jason had also become front page news, not only did Bruce get himself a boyfriend but also a new kid, and a wild one at that. Tonight Jason was dressed in a sweater and dark wash jeans, he refused to wear anything more formal, which was earning him some stares from what should be his peers. He was cleaned up and his hair trimmed, the red roots beginning to peek through the black dye. The teen was currently picking through every dish on the buffet, his plate filled with meats, cheeses and fruit. Jack was glad the boy hadn't shoved all the sweets in his mouth, but that didn't mean he should squirrel away whatever food he could find.

"Are we starving you again?" Jack asked, laughing when Jason whirled around with an apple in his mouth.

"There is just so much," Jason said around the apple, taking a bite to finish his sentence "I want to try all of it."

"Of course you do," Jack said "But that doesn't mean you have to eat it all within the span of an hour, it's not going anywhere."

Jason pouted and stepped away from the table, Jack understood the extreme want for the lavish food when all you had for a living was scraps and cheap take out. They had been spoiled once they were a part of the Wayne family, within a couple weeks they went from french fries and burgers in run down diners to steak dinners in lavish restaurants. Jason got a full wardrobe with enough hoodies to cloth all of Gotham and Jack himself had gotten a few new token items himself, dressed in sharp suits and soft shirts. They were both enjoying the luxury, but there were moments that had them wondering how long it would last.

Jack let Jason wander away to his own devices and made his way back to Bruce's side, fluke of champagne in his hand and a plate of snacks in the other. He hip bumped Bruce with a cheeky smile and offered him his treats, only to move them out of reach when the man tried to grab them.

"Tease," Bruce accused "Share."

"Nope," Jack laughed, setting his flute expertly on the center of the plate and started picking at it, popping an olive in his mouth and smacking his lips with a giggle. Bruce just laughed at his antics, reaching out and snagging a cracker off his plate while wrapping an arm around his waist to bring him back in close. Jack smiled when he felt lips on his cheek and let the blush color his face, not that it would show much through his makeup but that wasn't the point. Having Bruce's arms around him was comfortable, that sensation of belonging was a new addiction that he didn't want to get over.

"Mr. Wayne," One of the old men seemed to be offended as he watched the two of them play, his eyes burning holes into Jack. The look didn't phase him, in fact, Jack just winked at the man and sipped from his fluke, enjoying the sensation of bubbly alcohol dancing down his throat. Bruce seemed even less concerned, stealing another treat from Jack's plate and popping it in his mouth.

"Gentlemen, it's new years, it's a party, the least you could do is not bore me with your scolding," Bruce chuckled, "If you're going to be wall flowers all night and just glare at me from across the room, you've been here enough times to find the door."

"Bruce! Rude," Jack gasped, putting on a bit of a show as he watched the older gentlemen gape at them, "You should be more polite to your guests, darling."

"Not when they insult me in my own home, gentlemen, if you please," Bruce cut through them with Jack on his arm, the two of them sauntering away to find some more civilized conversation. 

"What was that about?" Jack asked, plucking another fluke from a platter that Alfred was holding and handing it to Bruce. Alfred's glasses were all filled with ginger ale and sparkling juice for the underaged guests and, of course, the paranoid Batman who wouldn't let alcohol dull his senses. Jack had figured this trick out during the Christmas Party when he had been nervous and tried his luck with some liquid courage only to be drinking it half the time. He had spent half the night looking for the real alcohol while putting on a smile for the guests who were after answers to questions he was not ready to be asked.

"They think you're some gold digging whore," Bruce explained "Here for the money,"

"The money is a nice added bonus," Jack admitted "But not for me, I'm just glad Jason can have something other than worn through shoes and a cat hoodie I stole out of some specialty shop."

"Tell them that," Bruce motioned and Jack got a spark in his eye, "Not actually!"

"Why not?" Jack pouted, "If they want me to be a Gold Digging Whore, I can scare them off and be one."

"Be good Jack," Bruce snickered, the thought of a drunken Jack flirting his way through his upper management was almost enough to send him off just so he could watch him do it. Jack's own thoughts seemed to follow along the same path and he burst in to a fit of giggles. They managed a stroll about the room, greeting guests and chatting with whoever could keep their interest. They caught up with the kids at some point, giving Jason trouble for sneaking drinks and then scolding Dick for being the one providing them. They both rushed away with giggles on their lips and Bruce had Alfred keep an extra eye on them.

"Bruce!" A softer voice cut through the music and Bruce opened his arms and caught the dark haired woman that jumped on him.

"Lois!" Bruce huffed as Lois collided with his chest. He hugged the woman tight and set her back on her feet, giving her a twirl to admire the beautiful navy cocktail dress she wore, "You made it." 

"I'm glad I could, I had to convince Clark with food," Lois teased and turned to her date. Clark Kent was dressed smartly in a dark suit and navy tie to match Lois' dress. Bruce took Clark's offered hand and there was a moment of quiet between the two as their eyes locked. Jack understood the silent conversation between them, Clark had been there when they had broken Bruce out of the prison, he knew things that Bruce didn't want to admit. The words being said with simple eye contact was enough to release the tension in Clark's shoulders, and as their hands dropped Jack felt the breath he had been holding release.

"Glad to see you doing better," Clark remarked, giving the other man a quick once over. Jack wanted to scoff at him, sure Bruce's physical form was doing better, but the nightmares and sleepless nights were too many to count these days. Bruce's smile faltered but he kept it in place, Jack wondered if Clark noticed, wondered if Lois would pick it up. Both of them smiled back and the dark haired woman took Bruce's hand in her own and pulled at him.

"Come on, dance with me, and tell me about your boyfriend," She laughed,

"Is this some kind of interview? Should I be worried?" Bruce asked, his voice becoming distant as the woman manhandled him onto the dance floor. Jack giggled, watching as Lois set her hands on Bruce's chest, too short to reach his shoulders, and Bruce waltzed her across the floor and into the crowd. Clark crossed his arms, a serious look stealing his face and he turned those eyes on him. Jack froze, unlike Bruce's chill of winter or the heat of hell fire, Clark's eyes were made of something else, the same baby blue but hard and beautiful as diamonds. Jack peaked up at him through the fringe of his wig, he had asked for the man's help, worked with him but after that he had cut contact off. Superman was not someone he wanted to cross, but he knew there was a heart made of plush under that chest of iron will. 

"Is he really okay?" Clark asked and Jack coughed on the laugh in his throat. Of course he knew that Bruce was lying, they had known each other too long to to know.

"Of course not," He answered, "But we're doing our best,"

"I worry, that's all," the other man said, watching as Bruce spun Lois out just to watch her skirt flare and the dress sparkle. Jack smiled, softly, and reached out as if to touch them, dropping his hand as Bruce pulled Lois back in his arms and continued their dance.

"Maybe you should check in more often then," Jack hissed, "You have his number right, is he just a colleague or is he a friend?"

Clark's sharp intake of breath was a warning that the larger man was ready for a fight but Jack held up his hand and turned to face him with a glare. He may not have been there the entire time but he had been there now. He watched Bruce suffer through the terrors in the night, heard him cry out in his sleep and soothed away the pains of self inflicted wounds from terrible nightmares. Jack had done what he could while the rest of Bruce's friends left him to handle it on his own.

"It has been months, and Lois has at least had the balls to call him and ask. You though? And the rest of the Super Suckers in that big spaceship of yours? Not a single call, nothing, not even a transmission for help." Jack had been waiting to give one of Bruce's super buddies a lashing. Not a single one of them had even stopped by to ask about him, the only one who seemed to care was Wally and he was too busy jumping on Richard to really count. He expected an excuse from the man of steel but all he got was silence, it seemed that even Superman knew that he had done something wrong.

"Hey!" Lois came back and grabbed on to Clark's hands, "Come on, Dance with me!"

"What did you put in her drink?" Jack laughed as Bruce came back, wrapping his arms around Jack's middle and lifting him off the floor, "Woah! Bruce! What did she put in yours?"

"Dance with me," Bruce breathed and Jack's face flushed as his feet touched the floor again and he was dragged out onto it. Bruce's hand slid to rest on the small of his back, the other grasping his. Jack sighed as he placed his free hand on Bruce's chest and allowed the taller man to lead him around the floor. He wasn't sure what brought on this sudden energy, maybe Lois said something, she could always bring out the playful side of Bruce. The music picked up and Jack was twirled out from Bruce's body, his feet keeping pace as his hair flipped around his face. Being pulled back into that powerful body did things for him and Jack looked up at Bruce's face and saw the fires lit behind glaciers and couldn't stop the shiver that swept up his spine.

"Bats?" Jack breathed, his voice quiet enough to almost not be heard and Bruce led them to a side door and simply tugged them away. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Nothing, maybe everything, maybe I can still hear old men telling me that you're not worth my time," Bruce said as he pulled Jack further from the party and away from prying eyes, "Maybe I'm tired of listening to business deals going on behind my back, and maybe I drank a couple glasses that were a little less Ginger ale."

"Bruce, did you get into the champagne?" Jack cackled, letting himself be pressed up against a wall as he took in a whiff of expensive scents and a slight undertone of alcohol. Bruce didn't drink much, he never would allow himself that kind of fun, but he had had something to drink. Bruce leaned over him, pressing the lengths of their bodies together before capturing Jack's lips with his own. The kiss was slow, sensual and left Jack's brain tingling but wanting. He grabbed the front of Bruce's jacket and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss into something a bit more needy.

Hands crawled up his back and under his blazer, pulling a whine out of Jack, rough fingers pressed into his spine. Bruce pulled away and started to leave a trail down Jack's jaw, nipping at the collar of his shirt. Jack grabbed Bruce's tie and pulled, the expensive silk becoming the perfect leash as he slid out from Bruce's hold and pulled him along, opening the next door he touched and grabbing the knot of the tie, yanking at it and pulling it off. Bruce grinned, scorching blue meeting venomous green, their eyes doing the talking for them as they came in for another kiss, messy and wet as the discarded tie fell to the floor. Bruce's hands grabbed at Jack's thighs, picking him off his feet and carrying him into the empty room, the door slamming with a bang and the click of a lock.

"What about your guests?" Jack asked, hooking his ankles around Bruce's waist, his head tilting back when the other man tugged his wig free.

"Wouldn't be the first time I vanished from a party," Bruce rumbled against his throat, pressed an opened mouth kiss under his jaw. Jack sighed, tangling his hands into Bruce's hair, roughing it up and bringing the smell of expensive shampoo and wax into the air. Hands moved slowly to unfasten buttons, leaving blazers on the floor and open collars allowed for more access, Jack left love bites on Bruce's shoulders while the larger man sucked bruises on to powder white throat.

They missed midnight and the call of the new year, but Bruce couldn't find a single care in the world with Jack straddling his lap, white skin illuminated by the fireplace light as they curled around one another on the couch. Bruce left more marks on Jack's skin, fingernails digging into his ass and thighs, but Jack retaliated with scratches digging into powerful shoulders and along Bruce's spine. They chased away their nightmares with soft whimpers and moans, keeping one another awake with whispered promises and sloppy kisses. They brought in their new years without the fear of a man who was still dancing in their dreams, demanding their undivided attention.

They chased it all away until they didn't have the energy left to keep running. Jack dozed on top of a warm body, his make up long since worn away by sweat and saliva and he wondered for a moment how it tasted. Bruce's skin was warm against his, both of them a mess of things he didn't care to name right then but he knew he would be sore in the morning. He sighed as he traced scars along his new lover's flesh, chuckling as Bruce sighed in his sleep.

"Happy New Year, Bats," Jack whispered, resting himself against the other man just to hear his heartbeat, just to make sure he was real. "Please don't leave me."


	2. Jurisdiction

Waking up on the couch had been a mistake, but the two men stretched out the kinks in their joins and scurried up to their room with no one the wiser. They collapsed into bed for a couple more hours of rest, Jack nuzzled up into Bruce’s ribs as the larger man pulled him tight against his side. Sleep came easily, for once, as they curled around one another for warmth and comfort, their nightly activities still leaving them exhausted. Jack was first to come to when morning finally came and he untangled himself from Bruce’s arms and took advantage of the large shower to clean himself up. The hot water cleared away the rest of his makeup and washed away the deep seated sore spots still worrying his joints and body. He counted bruises along his throat and chest, smiling at every kiss mark and fingerprint left around his hips, covering old scars with satin band aids. His memory washed away pain with pleasure and Jack sighed into the steam that surrounded him.

The door opened, shaking him from thought and Jack turned to watch a sleepy Bruce step into the bathroom and stagger towards the sink. Jack chuckled as the man washed his face and pawed around for his toothbrush and comb.

“Don’t mix those up,” Jack snickered, laughing out loud when Bruce finally focused on him for the first time with wide eyes, “Good Morning to you too, your brain doesn’t boot up this early, does it?”

“Does yours?” Bruce asked and Jack motioned to the shower and current conversation, Bruce grumbled and went back to washing up. Nothing needed to be done for the day but they still had a homicidal doctor loose in the city so the least they could do was talk about how to take him down. Jack continued to soak up the warmth, face upturned to the spray only to choke on it with a squeak when Bruce’s hands sat heavily on his hips as the larger man joined him in the shower.

“You could have just asked,” Jack hissed and splashed Bruce the best he could with the heavy spray. Bruce yawned in response, stretching himself up to grab the shampoo and pumped some into Jack’s hair and started messaging it in. Groaning, Jack tilted his head back like a cat, enjoying the attention and drinking it in. Bruce turned to his own hair next as Jack rinsed out the soap and grabbed the conditioner to return the favour. Bruce may have been taller than him but Jack’s long limbs allowed him to reach and easily comb the product through Bruce’s hair. Once clean and coherent, they dressed comfortably in t-shirts and jeans, Jack relieving Bruce’s closet from an oversized sweater and slipping it on.

“That is way too big for you,” Bruce snorted as he dragged his eyes over Jack, the grey sweater hanging off him and making him look smaller, more approachable and almost innocent. Jack smiled at him, green hair plastered on porcelain skin and a flush on his cheeks as he cuddled the fabric closer to his face. Bruce didn't mind sacrificing the sweater, he knew with that kind of look on Jack’s face that he wouldn’t be seeing it back in his closet anytime soon. Jack seemed content to be swimming in wool and skipped down to the kitchen where Alfred was working on what could only be lunch.

“What time is it?” Jack asked and glanced at the clock “Hey! We didn’t sleep until noon!”

“11:55 doesn’t really count,” Bruce said and headed over to the fridge, only to be shooed out of the way by his butler. 

“If you insist on sleeping through breakfast then the least you could do is not ruin your lunch, Master Bruce,” Alfred said and side eyed them both, “I will assume you at least made it to bed?”

“At some point,” Jack grinned and hissed when Bruce pinched him under the table. Jack kicked at him in return, hitting him in the shins before shifting his chair far enough away to stop Bruce from retaliating. Their childish behavior wasn't missed by Alfred as he prepared something for them to eat while he finished cooking them lunch.

“Because, I assure you, the couch in the east wing sitting room is no place to be sleeping,” Alfred’s voice was even and almost scolding but there was a tone there that said he knew. Jack’s entire face went red and he covered his mouth to stop the burst of laughter that exploded from his chest while Bruce just sighed dramatically. He must have been found in random places around the manor before to be so calm about being caught like he was. Jack wasn’t truly embarrassed, but the thought of the old man seeing who he claimed to be a son passed out on the couch naked with another man, well that was funny.

“Stop laughing, Jack,” Bruce hissed and Jack took a deep breath through his nose, and broke down into uncontrolled hysterics. Alfred chuckled behind his hand, passing them both a plate of toast and honey.

“Look who finally crawled out of bed,” Jason's voice snapped as he stalked into the kitchen, curling up in the corner and pulling his hood close to his face. Jack looked up at Alfred who shrugged and motioned to the boy, apparently he had been moody all morning then. There was a moment of indecision before Jack slipped from his seat and sat down across from the angry teen, setting his head on the table and looking up at him. Jason didn’t say anything, just looked away, upset at the world and while Jack would blame it on teenaged boys being teenaged boys he didn’t want to be that kind of adult.

“Come on grouchy, what’s wrong?” Jack asked and Jason looked up at pouted at him,

“You left the party last night,” He grumbled “I’m not dumb, I know why you left, but you left me there to deal with everyone.”

“Deal with who?” Jack asked, skipping over the details about Jason knowing where he had gone and what he had been doing, the kid had lived in a whore house of course he would know. 

“Was someone harassing you?” Bruce asked, looking up from his toast.

“Kind of,” Jason mumbled, looking up at Bruce with a closed expression, still not quite trusting him, “Some old guy was saying Jack using me as a trap, or something, to use you as an ATM, they wanted to know where my real parents were. When I told them they were dead, he just scoffed about orphans always landing in your lap."

“Which ‘old guy’ was this?” Bruce asked and Jack heard the change of tone, the mask that shattered to show the truth behind it. Bruce would have forgiven whoever it was if they had been giving him a hard time, Jack was a big boy and could look after himself.

You didn’t ever go after Batman’s kids.

“I don’t know, old, tall and lanky, looked like someone I would see in a white van,” Jason explained, “Wore those half moon glasses, bad comb over.”

“I know who that is,” Bruce said and finished his toast, “I have a couple phone calls to make, Alfred, do you mind making us something sweet for after dinner tonight, I think Jason could use it.”

“I would be delighted,” Alfred turned his attention to Jason, “What would you like, Master Jason?”

“Cookies?” Jason asked, withdrawing a little into himself, still unsure if he could make demands, “I liked the Gingersnaps.”

“Gingersnaps it is then,” Alfred turned to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of soda and poured a small glass, setting it in front of the teen, “Don’t you worry about what old business men say about you, Master Jason, we are happy to have you here.”

Jack stood and followed Bruce out of the kitchen, grabbing his toast on the way. He wanted to listen to this phone call, if not so he could get his own two sense in but so he could hear Bruce rage at some insensitive old man who couldn’t keep his nose out of where it didn't belong. There was a pause at Bruce’s office as he unlocked the door and slipped inside, leaving it open for Jack. The smaller man stepped forward, peeking through the door and took a look around. There was a large desk, a comfortable office chair and shelves upon shelves of books, files, boxes and loose papers.

“Wow,” Jack looked at Bruce with wide eyes, asking silently if he could snoop. Bruce waved his hand dismissively and Jack set his plate on the desk and ran to the nearest file. Plucking it out from its home he started to read the neat writing. These files were all on his employees, people he worked for, things he owned, all organized meticulously in order. Jack put the file away and free style climbed the shelf up to the more out of reach files.

“Please be careful, Alfred spent days cleaning this place up after me,” Bruce drawled as he plucked his phone out from his pocket and pulled a book from a drawer. Jack sat himself on top of the shelf and reached down to pick up and book and flipped it open. Business law, everything in this room was what kept Bruce Wayne’s pretty little mask tightly in place, Jack wondered if Bruce had even read these. Jack lay himself against hard, expensive wood and started skimming words. He heard Bruce take a seat and the sound of him dialing a number. Silence filled the office for a handful of moments. Jack watched as Bruce’s back straightened and his playboy smile crossed his features.

“Hello Jenny, It’s Bruce,” He said in that soft as silk voice. Jack arranged himself to watch the show, “Oh no, I plan on staying in for the day but I would like to talk with Benjamin, if you could tap me through?”

Jack licked his lips, there was something special about watching Bruce play his own game, that sweet as sugar city boy with enough money to own half of it. He could almost taste the candy in Bruce’s voice as he continued to talk to the secretary that must have been in that day. She had probably tasted the candy in Bruce’s words at some point, but Jack couldn’t help but feel back that she didn’t know the true spice that was Batman.

More silence and Jack swung his legs up like a child watching their favorite show, arms folded under his chin, resting on the book now abandoned under his body. Bruce’s features changed, slowly, steadily. His shoulders squared, chest out, that sweet as sugar smile melting into something hotter, a spice without a name. Baby blues became cold as arctic glaciers and the voice that sent shivers down Jack’s back tickled along his spine as Bruce greeted the man that had dared insult his children.

“This isn’t a business call Benjamin,” Bruce’s voice took on a sharp edge, ready to draw blood and Jack purred from his perch on the book shelf. He wanted to hear the other end of the call but he knew that if he was able to talk to this man, Bruce's cover would be blown. Jack wasn't as good at hiding his true self, it was why Bruce did it for him.

“Jason said something to me that was disturbing, care to repeat what you said to him to me?” Bruce drawled, crossing his legs one over the other and leaning back in his chair. Jack could just picture a cat in his lap, being pet like some dark master in his throne. “That’s not what he said to me.”

Caught in a lie, Jason was a rebel and got himself into trouble but he wasn’t a liar. The kid had passion and would tear apart whoever told him he couldn’t do something. Jack remembered when the kid practically demanded that Joker took him with him on his quest for Harish. Jason was a good kid, despite his harsh outer shell, he was just a boy trying to figure himself out.

Bruce understood this and let Jason throw his tantrums, so long as he did so safely, he let him take his anger out in the training rooms, out on Richard and sometimes even himself. Jason was a scrapper, he fought dirty, he had too, it was all he knew, the uncontrolled brawling was hard to predict and Bruce was working on turning Jason into a well trained street fighter. Some fights were just not his though, so Batman took over and Jack loved watching him do it.

“No, you do not get to play games with me, Benjamin, you do not get to try and tell me that Jason is anything but a kid. He is not some stray dog that needs training, he is not some street kid without class,” Bruce’s voice was hard as stone and just as cold, “You run my business, but you have no jurisdiction over my family.”

Jack gave a low whistle and buried his face into his arms to silence the giddy giggling that burst from his chest. Bruce was quiet for a very long moment, inspecting his nails with great boredom in his posture. Jack didn’t know what he was listening too, or if he was even listening but he was sure that Benjamin was trying to keep whatever claws he had left in the company. Bruce didn’t seem to be giving the old bat the time of day, but continued to let him beg over the phone.

“I’ll be in tomorrow and I expect an apology to not only my _son_ but also Jack, do you hear me?” Bruce spoke and Jack’s breathing stopped at the title Jason was given. Jason had barely lived there for a month and yet here he was, being called son. Bruce hung up and looked up at him and waved his phone. “Enjoying the show?” He asked

“I love it when you drop your mask,” Jack purred “You get so serious.”

“Don’t get comfortable up there, we have things to do today,” Bruce said and Jack stretched like some pale cat and sat back on his heels, watching Bruce stand and pause under him, looking up to catch his eyes. Quiet fell again and Jack knew that Bruce was calculating him, trying to think about what he was thinking about. 

“Jason needs you to hear what you said,” Jack spoke, letting Bruce know instead of making him guess, “That you think of him as a son.”

“Any son of yours is a son of mine,” Bruce spoke and Jack felt his heart stutter in rhythm and Bruce caught the look of shock on his face, “You won’t admit it to yourself, but Jason was your son the moment you took him out of that whore house.”

“Who told you about Mama’s?” Jack asked, hopping down so he could look in the man’s eyes. Bruce just smiled at him, wrapping an arm around him and bringing him close. Jack’s eyes flicked to Bruce’s lips and sighed as the larger man closed the space. The kiss was one of those slow seductions, deep and so thorough that Jack was left breathless and Bruce would stand unaffected.

“Mama did,” Bruce said when he pulled away, “She says she’s proud of you, and to come visit some time.”

“Clever bitch,” Jack chuckled and Bruce’s breath rumbled through his chest in a ghost of his old laugh, both unsure if he meant Mama or Bruce himself, “I’ll think about it.”

“Don’t think too hard, she’s family too,” Bruce said and left a lingering little peck on his cheek “Any family of yours is family of mine.”

Bruce walked away and Jack was left in that office with his hand on his cheek and a blush painting his face. He smiled and looked down at his feet, bare and so very white against the dark wood and he wondered if the warm feeling spreading from his chest to his toes was what it was like to have a family. He looked so out of place in this house, and sometimes he wondered if he even belonged. He wondered, briefly, if Bruce would finally realize that it was pain and comfort that kept them so close, a shared experience. He wondered if it was the pleasure that kept Jack in Bruce’s radar or maybe some sick logic that only Bruce knew. Joker had been Batman’s number one pain in the ass, and then he had become his patient and then his savior. They fell in each other’s arms to chase away nightmares and things they couldn’t explain but now they fell into each other like it was the next natural step. Jack knew that it wasn’t Bruce that he was hopping in bed with, but Batman, and he wasn’t sure what scared him more, the playboy that could chase away the insanity or the vigilante that drove him crazy. 

Jack shivered and pivoted, smiling up at Bruce who waited for him at the door, grinning at him and a smoldering beginning to heat up his features. Jack stepped out from the office, skipping past Bruce and looking over his shoulder with a coy little grin,

“Don’t get too comfortable, We have things to do,” Jack snickered and sauntered away, hearing Bruce give an indecent squawk. Maybe it was the feeling of family, maybe it was something different, but with Bruce and Jason at his side he was sure he could figure it out.


	3. Jeopardy

The next morning Bruce got himself dressed in something a bit more expensive, something that even Alfred noticed. The man had on gemstone sleeve cuffs and a watch with a price tag higher than Joker's medication list. Jack stepped into the other man's space and touched the suit, feeling the money behind it.

"Dressed to impress?" Jack asked, letting his fingers slide down the silk tie around Bruce's throat.

"Of course," Bruce flashed Jack his winning smile "I have an old man who can't keep his nose out of my business to knock down today."

"Really?" Jason asked, twisting himself on the couch to look at them, "The guy from the New Years party?"

"That's the one, I'd like it if you would join me for the morning, I can show you around Wayne Enterprises," Bruce offered and Jason looked up at him with wide eyes, "Go on, get dressed."

"Do I have to look as fancy as you?" Jason asked, his nose wrinkling as he gave Bruce a quick once over, not liking the thought of being all spiffy. Bruce shook his head and bent down to look the boy in the eyes,

"Wear whatever makes you most comfortable," He said slowly and watched the young man's face light up. Jason vaulted over the couch and raced for the stairs. Jack chuckled and watched the teen scramble up the stairs, any excuse to be out of the house was a good one. He felt hands on his hips and he leaned back into broad chest and tilted his head back, his nose running up under Bruce's chin, "You get dressed too, I want you there."

"Well then, let me put on my face and I'll meet you in the garage," Jack shifted, turning in Bruce's grasp and popped on his toes, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, I meant what I said yesterday," Bruce pressed a kiss on Jack's brow, "Make yourself pretty, make him hate you more."

"You know me so well," Jack chuckled and stepped out of the other man's space and sauntered himself upstairs. Alfred had moved all his things into Bruce's room, turning the walk-in closet into a space for them both. Jack's clothes were hung into outfits that most suit his personality, pieces also folded nicely in place with little shiny things like tie pins, cufflinks and chained necklaces and even delicate rings and bracelets could be found. Jack had picked them all out for himself, half of them out of actual desire, other things because he thought they were funny. A set of golden jester head cufflinks he had seen and wanted in a cheap little shop even lay in his collection. Jack debated them but knew if they were to put on a show he needed to look as spoilt as his partner. He stripped from his pajamas and tossed them into the basket and started looking around, he could be lazy and pluck an outfit already set but he felt bratty and didn't want to simply show up in a suit. With careful consideration it pulled out a black turtleneck and matching trousers. He tossed them on the chair nearby and shuffled through his things before he found the eggplant colored knee length coat, it was still cold after all.

Jack shut the closet door and sat at the vanity, plucking up his makeup and started to apply. He watched the white skin vanish into pale flesh with rosy cheeks and sharp contour. He applied soft nude lipstick to hide the petal pink his mouth had become. He plucked the wig off its stand and pulled it on, pinning it expertly into place, green curls vanishing under soft butter blond. He dusted on the setting powder and sprayed it all securely in place with finishing spray.

He dressed with calm ease, having turned it into a ritual to simply keep his mind settled. Boxers first, trousers settled around his hips with leather belt with a sparkling silver buckle. Turtle neck, cashmere and soft against his skin hid the paleness of him. Tucking everything into place he looked at his collection and found a necklace to wear. Plum Sapphires made a ring of delicate purple and silver against the black of his sweater as he pulled on the wool coat. Jack hummed when he looked at his shoes and pulled out a pair of black ankle block heeled boots. He was allowed to be sassy today, he'd give himself that.

Leaving the bedroom he listened to the sharp sound his heels made as he walked against polished wood and wondered what it would sound like against the tiled floors of Wayne Tower. Jack practically skipped himself to the garage, waving when he saw Jason and Bruce waiting for him, Alfred dressed for the drive.

"Look at you," Bruce hummed, approval trickling through as his eyes slowly moved up Jack's body. Resisting a pose, Jack flipped the blond hair,

"I didn't want to look like some carbon copy businessman," Jack explained with a soft sigh "So I went for spoilt brat instead."

"I can see that," Bruce grinned and opened the car door, "After you,"

"Me first!" Jason dove into the car, pulling a bark of laughter from Jack as he slipped in beside the boy. Jason hadn't been in the car yet, he was mostly housebound so going out for a drive was like taking a dog to the park. Jason was dressed in one of his many hoodies and a pair of jeans, nothing that looked like it should cost much but the brand names were clear as day.

"Be nice while we're there Jason, please," Jack started, about to go into the rules when Bruce raised a hand to take over.

"Be yourself," He stated, "I don't want you to cause mischief, but don't act like some cookie cutter well trained dog, alright?"

"What does that mean?" Jason asked, "That I don't have to be nice?"

"No, you don't have to be nice, be polite but don't pretend to be someone you're not, that's what they want, I don't want you to be fake for a bunch of old men who are looking for a reason to give you problems," Bruce explained and the look of trouble crossed Jason's face as admiration glimmered under the surface.

"So I can say something if it bugs me?" Jason asked, "Like I do for Jack?"

"Just like you do for Jack," Bruce winked "But keep the language appropriate,"

"Fuck no," Jason hissed and Jack cackled, head tossed back at the boy's cheek. Jason stuck his tongue out with a smile, already enjoying the trip. Jack watched Jason slip from one window to the other, pressing his nose against the glass to look up at the skyscrapers and buildings that housed hundreds of families. He bounced in his seat when he spotted Wayne Enterprise and flapped his hands with delight as Alfred set him loose, Bruce slipping out after him and offering his hand to Jack. There was a moment of pause as Jack set his hand in Bruce's, a bit of dramatic showmanship as Bruce pulled him out of the car. Jason had his hand securely grasped in Alfred's coat as he looked at all the people coming in and out of the building.

"Hey, don't sweat it," Jack said and offered the teen his elbow and Jason latched on to it, looking up and up and up as they got closer to the door, "Never came in through this entrance before."

"You were too busy trying to get through the roof," Bruce muttered back. Jack giggled, ducking his head as the memories of attempt after attempt fluttered passed.

"I promise to use the door from now on," Jack snickered, noticing the looks they were beginning to receive. Jack straitened, his boots snapping sharply against the tiles as he walked, matching the gentle taps of Jason's runners and the echo of Bruce's well polished shoes. Jack loved the sudden sense of power that filled his chest, he wasn't there as more than arm candy, the difference between him and the women who had been in his place was that he belonged there. He flipped his hair and let the curls bounce around his face. Jason seemed to catch the sensation because he squared his shoulders and let his hand go, walking at their side with the confidence many teenaged boys didn't have at his age.

"Bruce!" A woman cooed from the reception desk, her eyes snapped to Jack for a moment, then Jason, and back to Bruce, "You didn't return my call..."

"You called?" Bruce asked and Jason whistled before bursting into giggles. The woman looked hurt and pouted perfect cherry lips and big doe eyes glassed over.

"Wow," Jason huffed, "Any girl can pull off that look, I've seen whores use it to get an extra tip, you should save it for the men who care."

"Jason!" Jack gasped but Bruce snorted.

"When I said be yourself, I didn't think you would be so sharp," Bruce drawled and Jason shrugged, "No filters, eh son?"

Jack watched the emotion play in slow motion across Jason's face at the realization of the words. Son, Bruce had called him son and Jack watched as Jason's eyes took on a new spark, looking up at Bruce with wide, pleading eyes to say it one more time.

"Nasty little boys should stay at home," The woman hissed, her desperate pout replaced with catty intent and Jason flipped her off, sticking his tongue out with a sneer.

"Bratty little girls shouldn't be working in a place with class," Jason hissed back, his sharp tongue cutting deeper with every word. Bruce reached out and set a heavy hand on his shoulder and Jack thought the boy may have crossed a line.

"I would appreciate it if you would show some respect for my family, Miss. Emily," Bruce spoke, "Jason is rough around the edges but he holds the same power here as Richard."

Emily looked ready to spit more venom but wisely kept it to herself and simply stuck her nose in the air and went back to her work. Jason huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and glared, she had called him names and was treating him like he was still something to be stepped on. Bruce said he deserved the same respect as Richard, and Richard would have gotten an apology.

"Apologize to me," Jason snapped, "For calling me a brat."

Bruce and Jack looked down at the boy, they thought he would just take the win and walk away, but it seemed he was more serious about being there. Jason was sharp as a well loved blade though, and he was going to cut this woman down and demand her attention. Emily looked up from her computer and a grin was spreading over her face, but it quickly vanished when she saw the stone cold look from Bruce. This boy meant more to him than the quick office fuck she and Bruce shared months ago.

"Well," Emily huffed, "Fine, I'm sorry."

"No you're not," Jason drawled but turned his back to her, "You're just jealous."

Silence was a blessing as Emily gawked, watching as Jason flicked black dyed hair her way with a cocked hip, sauntering away with a wiggle of fingers. An experienced whore would know the insult in the body language, a proverbial fuck you without a word spoken. Emily wasn't a whore though, a well brought up boarding school graduate wouldn't get it but the bark of laughter that came from Jack was translation enough. Jason stepped ahead of his parents, rushing the elevator when it came into view, his personality switching back to the excited puppy as he jammed his fingers against the buttons.

"Good show, son," Bruce spoke, "But let me do the talking to the next obstacle, alright?"

"Sorry," Jason bit his lip. "She would have apologized to Dick, she doesn't think I deserve it."

"Don't worry about it," Bruce spoke softly, ruffling the boy's hair "She won't be here for long anyways."

Jason looked up, his face flushing with warmth and the smile that was spreading over his face was special. Jack had only seen that look when Jason ran to Mama or saw one of Mama's girls on the street. He saw that look when he woke in the morning and Jason found him already in the Library or Entertainment room with popcorn and soda in front of him.

He saw that look when Alfred passed him a plate of Gingersnaps New Years Day.

That was a smile meant for family only and seeing that look aimed at Bruce after so long was heartwarming and brought a soft look to Jack's face. They rode the elevator up to the executive floor and Bruce shifted their hands, lacing their fingers in something more intimate than just linked arms. Jason had his hand on Bruce's jacket sleeve, fabric pinched between his fingers as he walked at his side, shoulders still squared, jaw set. The young man was up to Bruce's chest but he looked so much smaller than that. Bruce strutted them across the floor and between desks and even Jason knew he was being paraded like a show pony and poised himself as such. Jack swung his and Bruce's linked hands in a gentle sway, a subtle movement that brought the eye to their hands and he watched as people turned in their desks to whisper to whoever would listen.

"Ah! Bruce!" Benjamin was already there with a smile on his face despite his previous verbal beat down with a group of men behind him. Bruce scoffed as he looked at the gang of men, pausing with Jack and Jason on either side of him, "I thought we could take our chat in one of the meeting rooms."

"No," Bruce said, "We were going to do this in my office, but I see you brought half the board with you, this isn't a debate or a discussion, this is a demand."

"I don't see why we can't talk this through, Bruce, it was a simple misunderstanding, the boy probably heard wrong," Benjamin spoke and Jason hissed from his place at Bruce's side.

"My boy is no liar," Jack snapped, "Many things, yes, but a liar isn't one of them."

"Bruce..."

"Mr. Wayne, to you Benjamin," Bruce growled and Jack shivered, hearing the rumble of Batman's voice pushing through Bruce's carefully placed disguise was thrilling. Benjamin looked between them, eyes peering over half moon glasses, trying to save face in front of his own team. Bruce was a mountain though, no matter how long the wind blew, no matter how hot the fires burned he still stood, and Benjamin's calculating stare was missing every mark.

"Mr. Wayne, then, shall we?" He motioned to the meeting room and Bruce planted firm where he stood, pulling Jason front and center, demanding the apology right there without saying a thing. Jason crossed his arms and glared, so much smaller than Bruce but his presence alone filled the room as he looked down his nose at Benjamin.

Jason had been looked down at all his life, from tricks who wanted him to whores who tried to take his cash. He had stood in the streets and begged for pennies only to get pissed on by drunks. He sold drugs to addicts and got beat on by other dealers who lost their customers to a cheaper product, he was nothing but another stray cat in the alley being chased by those bigger than him. In this place though, he was more than that, a street cat turned tiger, he was ready to earn his stripes and rip this man into mince meat.

The scary part was, Bruce looked ready to let him.

"Just apologize to the boy, Benjamin, is it really worth your career?" Lucian asked as he stepped out from behind somewhere, spooking Jack. Benjamin seemed to crack and he snapped his attention to the teenager, his lips sealed as he just glared at him. Jason stood his ground, he had faced down worse than old men who couldn't be bothered, he had torn out one apology today, he wasn't against doing it again. A better idea came to mind though and Jason's stance relaxed with a heaved sigh.

"You know what," Jason sang, his voice sweeter than sugar as he shrugged, "He isn't worth the time, you know?"

"What's that?" Lucian asked, amused at the sudden turn of events, Jason looked over his shoulder and gave the room a sharp smile.

"Not my fault the old man can't get his hands in Dad's back pocket, he's just jealous that he wasn't adopted by him," Jason spoke. The silence in the room was deafening and Jack covered his mouth to keep the laughter in his chest. Jason continued to stand tall, daring the old man to prove him wrong, it was a real treat when the bastard bit. 

"Young man, I have my own fortune, I don't need his," Benjamin hissed, his mask cracking and his true colors showing. Benjamin's voice dripped with poison and the murderous look in his eyes was dangerous, even to Jack and he grabbed Jason's hood and pulled him back against his body, wrapping an arm around him.

"You think you can take your frustrations out on a damn child, how petty are you?" Jack snapped, "I've seen boys with better sense that you, I know what you're thinking, what you want, Bruce was a single man without a care to his name, all he had was his money and now that he has family your plans are ruined, right? Let me guess, you have kids who work in the company too, young, sweet things who will take whatever shares you have after you kicked the bucket?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Benjamin snapped, his face beginning to go red,

"Oh, I know," Jack growled, and he did know, Joker knew everything about Wayne Enterprises, found it funny how deals went on behind Bruce's back, how people whispered poison in the ears of those around him. Old men throwing their daughters into Bruce's arms, executives passing their fortunes on to their sons in hopes that one day Bruce would fall off the map and never come home. Bruce, who had no kids of his own, no blood to pass the name too, the company too, his shares would fall away and could simply be...snatched.

Richard's adoption would have put a kink in the plans, but since the boy showed no interest in business or in the family name he was written off. Jason, though? Jason could show the same promise, but he was still a threat and could be dealt with by simple bullying...Jack though...Jack was a danger to everything they wanted. Jack lived with Bruce, slept in his bed night after night, not a fling like many of Bruce's little friends. No, Jack was a target and the easiest way to get to Jack was to get to Jason. With enough force, any child could destroy a new relationship.

Jason was stronger than that though and he proved it by telling them, he proved it by believing in Bruce and in Jack. He most certainly proved it by standing up to a bully nearly five times his age. Jack tightened his hold on Jason and felt the younger's hands grip his arm tightly, he was still scared, but he knew he was protected.

"Maybe you should think about retiring," Bruce drawled, "I would also suggest selling your company shares to someone with a little more...tact."

He didn't quite fire him, but the tone in his voice spoke volumes, _Get out of my house _, and Benjamin heard it loud and clear.__

__"I'll be happy to get the process started," Lucian said, "If you wouldn't mind, of course."_ _

__"Thank you, Lucian," Bruce's sudden smile left Jack with whiplash, "Now, I promised you two I'd show you my office, how about it?"_ _

__"Can you show me the cafeteria first, I'm starving," Jason commented, his growling stomach making perfect timing. Jack laughed this time, letting himself loose a little of his decorum as Jason flushed pink._ _

__"Alright, Lunch first, and then a tour," Bruce said, reaching down to ruffle Jason's hair again, "Try not to scare anymore of my staff, alright?"_ _

__"No promises,"_ _


	4. Jabberwocky

The day out of the house had been good for Jason. He had come home to tell Richard all about what he had done and asking Alfred for the gingersnaps that were stashed away in the kitchen. Jack had gone to bed happy for the young man's achievements, but even that couldn't chase away the nightmares.

He woke with a start and sat up in bed, still twitching as he raked his nails against his scalp, just to be sure the wires and tubes were still all in a dream. Taking a deep breath and counting to ten, then twenty before he realized he couldn't get rid of the sensation of needles in his arm. He hated to wake Bruce but he was desperate, he turned to wake the man for cuddles and comfort only to find that he was alone. Jack sighed and slipped out of bed, stuffing his feet into warm slippers and making his way down to the Batcave.

"Bruce?" Jack called without an answer and stood on top of the stairs, looking down at the empty cave. Confused and curious, Jack turned back into the manor and started to wander. He let his fingertips drag along the walls as he ghosted around the halls. He found himself in the library out of habit and standing at the panoramic window, was Bruce. There was a stiffness in his posture, his shoulders squared, eyes looking out into nothing and there was pain written all over his face.

"How did you survive?" He asked suddenly as Jack sat on the floor by his feet looking up at him.

"Practice," Joker responded "I survived a beating from you, from the Boy Scout, from...Robin and Batgirl and even Alfred and he uses guns. Harish, well, he's a special kind of torture, but I know how to keep on going, pain be damned."

"I thought I could, I've had people in my head before, people who could do much more damage, actual sages and psychics, but this guy..." Batman looked down and watched iridescent greens dull in memory, "What makes him worse than any of them?"

"He isn't in it to kill," Joker said "All those other people who get in your head, they had a single reason, to end you, to make you hurt, to make you fall. Harish thinks he can fix whatever it is that he thinks is broken, he thinks he can heal you and he'll do whatever it takes to make you better."

Bruce looked out into the night sky, watching the stars glitter. Joker watched him watch the darkness, arctic blues clouded by nightmares. He wanted to know what Harish had done, he wanted to know what kind of pain Bruce endured, he could still see the look of horror in the man's eyes when they had rescued him. The taller man looked down at him, meeting his eye and hearing his plea for information and gave a heavy sigh, looking back out to the night before he spoke. 

"He knew about my parents, which didn't shock me," Bruce said softly, "But other things, the name of the movie we went to see, the man who shot my father, my mother's pearls."

"He knew my name," Joker reminded him, "He learns things, uses those things against you."

"He knew everything, about Richard, about Barb, he knew all of Alfred's metals and tours and..." Bruce logically knew that the right amount of research could bring all this up. Harish would have had to have been looking for him if he had done that much snooping around, and that was what scared him. 

"He gets into your head," Joker nodded, "Doesn't need to do much, just needs to find that one thing, everyone and their dog knows that using your parents against you wouldn't be the right button to push, but the rest of your family, the living ones, that's what scares you."

"He demanded I bring Richard to him, so he could help him too," Bruce whispered, "And then said he would be there for Barbara too."

"He knows you love them," Joker responded "He would have continued to use them until you bled out on the floor."

Bruce shuddered as he thought about what the mad man would have done to his kids, he had already destroyed Barbara, paralyzing her from the waist down. Barbara wouldn't tell him out right but she was having a hard time adjusting right now, distracting herself with school but she missed being out there with Richard, she missed being Batgirl. Joker stood up and pressed himself tight against Bruce's back, silently urging this man to go on, to tell him more. Bruce took a deep breath and rocked a little, back and forth before he stood still and continued.

"I don't know what he put in my system, but he made sure I saw what he was doing, every drug, every chemical, telling me it would make me better, I spent days...maybe more...wide away and starving. Harish said that maybe I would stop putting so many meals on a single table if I knew what it was life to go hungry, that I deserved to feel exhausted for once in my spoilt life. I spent a full day frozen in that bed, which wasn't bad, I've trained in colder but he tried to teach me lessons, tried to ground me. He did something that made me burn from the inside out, told me I deserved to feel hellfire after all the sins I had committed."

Joker's hands clutched Bruce's sleep shirt and he nuzzled those powerful shoulders, he knew those drugs, he had felt them in his system. He knew what fire felt like burning under his skin, he knew the taste of stomach acid from nauseating chemicals after days on that man's table.

"He wouldn't shut up either, he just keeps talking, telling me how much better I will be once he was done."

"He thinks he made some of his victims better," Joker breathed, "Hatter, Riddler...Scarecrow, he gassed him with his own fear gas, he tried to do the same to me with my own laugh gas, when it didn't work he injected it."

That stuff had never been made to go into the bloodstream and the excruciating pain that followed had left Joker screaming as the liquified laughter rushed through his system. The serum had reached his heart and nearly put him out for good, caught somewhere between manic laughter and frantic screaming. He vowed then and there on that table that he would kill Harish with it, too bad it hadn't worked the first time.

Bruce leaned back against his hands, pressing the line of their bodies together. Joker reached around and wrapped his arms around slim waist, feeling Bruce's hands against his own. Together they swayed gently in place, carefully finding peace in that library for a moment.

"He tried to tell me he found you, said he was giving you treatment in another room, he would leave for hours and come back saying you were getting better. I didn't believe him at first but after a couple days, I thought...maybe he did, maybe he had you stored away, cold, bleeding and alone. He said he had Selina, said she had begged to see me," Bruce trembled, "He said he knew about Talia, said he knew our little secret and I...I had no idea what he was talking about but he just kept saying that once I was better he would bring me back to her, that family deserved to be together."

"I couldn't tell you," Joker responded and gently encouraged Bruce to face him, reaching up to drape his arms around his neck. "He uses words, uses medicines, pain, humiliation...He knew what TwoFace was doing to us all, he knew what was happening, told me I deserved it, for all the blood on my hands it was good for me to spill a little in repayment."

Bruce brought Joker into his chest, curling himself onto the smaller man, holding him tightly as if he could protect him further simply with his body.

"Twoface is dead," Bruce whispered,

"And Selina is with Pamala," Joker comforted, "I don't know about Talia."

"She's fine," Bruce chuckled softly "Nothing could take her down, her father would rip them apart."

Joker snickered, feeling hands run up his body and rest on his back, their swaying soon becoming dancing, their feet easily finding a soothing tempo. They circled one another, Joker's hands resting on Bruce's chest, feeling the heartbeat and his street-rough hands spread wide against his back. There was no music but they could still hear it in the breaths they took and the beating of their hearts. Joker tilted his head up and it was Batman's forehead that met his, the mask shattered, showing a man raw with emotions. He pretended he didn't feel the tears dropping on his face, running down his cheek and dripping off his chin. He ignored the shuddered breaths and continued to dance, leading the leader as Batman's arms came around him, pulling him tight. His feet stepped up on top of the other man's, allowing him to dance alone yet still being wrapped up in Joker. Gently he tilted his face to capture trembling lips, kissing away pain and swallowing catching breaths, Batman shouldn't cry, but Joker wouldn't think less of him for it.

"We'll get him," Joker said, "We'll make him pay for what he did to us, to them."

"We need a plan," Batman muttered back, his voice rough with more than just emotion.

"So we make one," Joker replied, "And we tear him down and make damn sure he never gets back up."

"I meant what I said, I won't stop you," Batman breathed, "But I swore I would never kill a person."

"Harish isn't a person," Joker spat and cupped Batman's face in his hands and his eyes seemed to glow as he peered deep in to Batman's soul, "He's a monster, I know monsters, Bats, I was one, he won't stop unless we stop him, permanently."

Blue eyes warmed and Batman took Joker's hands and pulled them away from his face, pressed soft butterfly kisses along his wrists before pressing his lips against his palm.

"Hatter had it right," He said softly, "In his own twisted way, Alice was the one who slayed the Jabberwocky, so at the end of this all, you're the only one who can stop this one, Gotham doesn't need saving this time."

"No?" Joker asked, smiling as Batman started to lead them in a waltz, his feet still perched on the larger man's own. Joker could feel the grace in this man in his movements, the feel of his body against his own, the way he breezed along the library floor while basically carrying Joker along with him. Joker shifted a hand to broad shoulder as Batman took the other in his own. Batman continued to dance with Joker in his arms and as they moved the smaller man suddenly understood. Hatter had called him Alice, the little girl who slayed the Jabberwocky, who was Harish, a manifestation of the Red Queen's hatred, and Gotham as Wonderland who was protected by the White Queen...Batman. The person who saved the White Queen in her time of need was Alice.

Joker was Batman's hero.

"How many could be called your hero?" Joker breathed, looking up at the man who continued to glide them across the library floor.

"One other," He said with a grin "But don't tell him I said it."

"I won't have too, I'm sure he already knows," Joker grinned, a gentle laugh passing his lips as he leaned a little closer. "But I think it's time for bed, Bats."

"I'm not tired," Bruce's voice came through, thick and hot like melted chocolate and Jack breathed against pouting lips,

"Then we don't sleep," He purred, stepping off bruise marked feet and slipping out of the tight hold. Jack sauntered away with a sway in his step and Bruce let his eyes drag up the lean body as the other man slipped out of the door. He followed, taking it slow as he watched Jack vanish around a corner, keeping his own pace even, there was no rush. Jack slipped in to their room and Bruce smiled at the open door, walking to stand in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he watched Jack remove his sleep shirt and toss it aside. There were scars littering his body, the marks on his shoulders left by Twoface from his manhandling, slash marks from collarbone to places hidden in soft cotton. There were wounds that Bruce knew nothing about, scars that glinted in soft bedroom lights. He could piece them together if he tried hard enough, if given the time to admire the imperfections.

"Going to keep staring?" Jack asked, looking over his shoulder, "Or join me?"

"Just...enjoying the view," Bruce chuckled and Jack snorted at the horrible line, "No, really, I know these scars...I know your body on different levels, but these..."

Bruce stepped closer and ran his hands over imprinted skin and old knife wounds, discoloration from bruises so deep they never truly healed. Jack shivered as fingers danced over raised flesh and indented scars long healed from fights he could barely remember.

"How much of your blood do I have on my hands?" Jack asked softly as he started to unbutton Bruce's shirt, revealing a disorganized pattern of discolored skin. He could put a name on plenty of the knife wounds that littered the man's ribs, old burns that didn't heal quite right. He was probably the reason for the sensory problems that Bruce pretended he didn't have, Jack had seen him squinting at the morning paper, he wasn't stupid.

"And yours on mine?" Bruce asked heavily, reaching out to touch the electric burns that still scared his temples. Jack reached up and pressed his hands tightly against Bruce's own and looked up at him.

"These are not your fault," He whispered,

"I put you there," Bruce answered and Jack reached for him, rocking up on to his toes and kissed him with passion on his lips.

"You didn't know," Jack said, running his hands down imperfect body, littered with scars and marked by knives he held in his own hands, "Do you hate me for my mistakes? For the wounds I left you with, the blood I spilt from you?"

"No," Bruce said and looked down at him, "I pitied you."

"Then pity me," Jack rumbled, wrapping his arms tight, his toes barely touching the floor as he hung off the larger man, "So I can love you."

Bruce melted into Jack's arms, wrapping them tightly around the smaller man, lifting him off his toes and feeling lithe legs wrap around his waist. They tangled together in bed, nightmares forgotten as their bodies came together. They exhausted themselves and fell apart and then together with whispered promises for plans to kill the man they were still chasing. Jack promised he would make sure he did the right thing while Bruce swore he wouldn't get in Jack's way. They both promised to watch the kids, all of them, making a note to speak with the rest of the league about any and all of their members. Harish was out for everyone, not just Bruce and Jack, they would use anyone to get to his targets. They were on their own this time, they couldn't risk any more of their family falling in Harish's hands, not with his knowledge, not with his sick mind. They had to take him down themselves, and Jack was the only one willing to put in the final blow.

Joker's Alice to Harish's Jabberwocky.

The Battle lines were drawn.


	5. Jason

The world didn't stop, even when a mad man was after you and your family, so Bruce sent his kids off to school. Richard was in his final year of school and Jason, well, he needed some catching up to do but he would be alright. Alfred promised to tutor the young man on the rest of his schooling at home, but he should socialize with children his own age. Jack made the boy promise he wouldn't set the school on fire and to be nice to the other kids.

"Please keep an eye on him," Jack hissed at Richard, "I don't want to explain to the police why Jason killed a kid, alright?"

"Oh, you're not worried about him?" Richard asked as he pulled on his leather jacket, fully intending to take his bike to school and have Jason ride on the back. The other boy had been raving about it all weekend until he realized he wouldn't be driving. Jason was pouting about it but still wanted to ride.

"No, he can look after himself, it's the rest of the brats that make me nervous," Jack chuckled, "Promise you'll keep him from hurting someone."

"You know, a few years ago, you would have set him loose in the school with a flamethrower just to hear them scream," Richard pointed out and Jack chuckled, the man was right, he would have enjoyed watching a bunch of hormonal packed meat suits scatter and burn.

"And lock the door behind him, just to keep him off me, " Jack whispered, "I know. Don't let him know that or he'll be asking for a flamethrower."

Richard barked a laugh and tossed a jacket to Jason who was pulling at his uniform tie. He looked uncomfortable in the slacks and blazer, tugging at the tie and running his hands through his gel set hair. Jason was polished and shiny for his new school, and Jack could see the boy wanting to crawl out of his own skin.

"Hey," Jack approached the young man, grasping his shoulders and looking him in the eye, "I'll have your hoody clean and ready when you get home, alright?"

"Thanks," Jason muttered, "The Cheshire Hoody, the one you got me."

"Got it," Jack winked and jammed a bike helmet on the boy's head, making sure it fit snugly, amused that all of the work put into his hair was going to be ruined. The boys left and both Jack and Bruce headed down to the cave and got to work. They wanted to get as much information on Harish as they could, he wasn't the only one who could play mind games. Bruce would look up anything that could be of use and Jack wanted to dig any skeletons out of the closet, dust them off and throw them in the man's face. They worked all morning until Alfred came down with tea and lunch, phone in hand saying that Barbara was trying to get a hold of Bruce with some important information.

Bruce transferred the call to the computer and Barbara's voice echoed through the cave.

"Okay, because I'm bored out of my head with nothing to do, I did some research," She said without a greeting.

"Hi, how are you, I'm fine, thank you for asking," Jack's sarcasm wasn't missed but Barbara continued anyway.

"Look, Dr. Demyan Harish was born in Russia, he got his medical license but it was revoked after he started testing controversial medical procedures on his own patients. He was arrested but was released due to his unstable behaviour, he was meant to be going to a psychiatric hospital but his convoy never arrived," Barbara explained, "This was almost five years ago."

"So this guy not only escaped but he had the balls to not even change his name," Jack said, "I mean, what kind of bullshit is that?"

"He moved to the States from Russia," Bruce pointed out, "This is the last place they'll look."

"Besides, he's unstable, he probably thought he didn't deserve the jail time, remember, he thinks he's helping," Barbara pointed out and there was some shuffling noise before she seemed to become annoyed and simply hung up. There was a moment of confusion as Jack and Bruce stared at one another and then the Red Head appeared on their screen. She was looking down at her keyboard, her own face shrinking to the bottom of the screen as files and information scattered across the monitor, pictures included of the man that was hunting them.

"How bored were you?" Jack asked as Bruce started clicking away on the files and links.

"I'm doing all my courses online and currently have only my worried father keeping me company, and he's only been ranting about Bruce, okay, I needed something to do and since hacking is the only other thing I have going for me, here I am," Barbara snapped, flipping her hair out of her eyes.

"So you hacked my system?" Bruce asked,

"No...Richard just tapped me into it...What! I can't get down those stairs anymore!" Barbara pouted. Bruce raised his hands in surrender while the red head tossed a couple more files up onto the screen. Jack scanned what he could read, crossing his arms over his chest as his brain worked on what he could use. He had a big mouth and liked to talk, he could rip Harish apart with simple words, but he needed something more, something that could kill. They spent much of the day in the cave with Barbara, the three of them trying to convince one another that they knew where this man was hiding. Bruce thought he was somewhere under the city and Jack insisted that he was too clean of a man to be in the sewers, so he must be back at the hospital. Barbara was insistent that someone like Harish wouldn't sit still and was probably on the move, like Joker had been.

"He's not exactly mobility friendly," Jack said and collapsed into the chair, running his hands over his face. He sighed and looked up at the cave ceiling, listening to the dripping of water. He could hear the wings of bats and felt the world fall away as he tried to picture where the good Doctor would run too. He and Harley had always had a place to run, a place to crawl under when things got too hot to handle. He didn't know where they should start though, Harish listened to rules and regulations of his own making, so realistically he would still be at the Hospital, but logically he would avoid it knowing that they would check that place first.

"Are you two still down here?" Richard asked as he came into the cave, helmet under arm and tossing his jacket aside. "Hey Barbara!"

"Where's Jason?" Bruce asked and Richard shrugged, "He's not with you?"

"No, I thought he came home, he wasn't having the best day so I thought he ditched and came home or found somewhere to hold up until school ended," Richard explained.

"Maybe he went to Mama's, I'll go pick him up," Jack sighed and stood up, stretching like a cat before moving up the stairs, heading for Jason's room to grab his hoodie. He didn't bother with his make up, just snatched a hat to hide his hair, sunglasses for his eyes and a scarf for the rest. He pulled together a quick outfit and bundled up, grabbing keys to an old beater of a car.

"Don't give him too much trouble!" Bruce called as Jack left. Jack waved him off as he pulled out of the garage and headed for the streets, navigating off the driveway and down into Gotham's main roadways. Jason should have just called him if he didn't want to be in class, he wouldn't have blamed the kid if he didn't want to be there, but hell, he didn't have to run off. Jack turned off to the lower end of the city, carefully picking his way around, he knew these streets and these people better than most. He found a young lady in a pretty green dress that caught the light from an old diner, no more than sixteen with darkened eyes and blood red hair. Jack rolled down his window and gave the girl a whistle.

"What can I do for you honey?" She leaned down to his window and Jack removed his glasses, "Hey Doll! What brings you down here?"

"Looking for Jason, have you seen him? He went to class but ditched and didn't come home," Jack asked and the girl turned and perched herself on the door with a hum. "Come on Emily, if he's mad that's one thing, but he's not in trouble."

"Oh, I didn't think he would be, but I haven't seen the kid," Emily spoke and tossed a kiss to a passing john and turned back to Jack, "Head to the house, maybe he just went right there, he knows these streets as good as any of us."

"Alright, stay safe kid," Jack said and drove off, leaving her to her work. He drove a few more blocks before parking the car and slipping out, making sure everything was locked tight. Jack headed down a couple alleyways and took a turn into the unofficial red-light district and slipped into a familiar building.

"Welcome to...Jack!" Mama went from sultry to surprised on the turn of a dime and launched at him, "My favorite Doll!"

Mama's laugh was infectious and her voice carried. Girls popped their heads from their burrows and they all came running to welcome their lost soul. Each girl took a turn to hug Jack, several kissed his face and one woman who was built like a tank tackled him to the ground and almost squashed him. She lifted him back up to his feet and Mama grabbed him again, pulling him in for a genuine hug.

"Thanks," Jack breathed and tried to wash the rainbow of lipstick that was now on his face, "Is Jason here?"

"Jason? No, why?" Mama asked and Jack felt cold. Mama caught the look and worry colored her eyes, "Where is Jason, Doll?"

"School, he was at school but he didn't come home, I thought he would have come here," Jack began to feel panic in his blood and thought of every place where Jason would hide.

"Alright, he couldn't have gone too far, I'm guessing his school is Gotham Academy, yeah?" Mama asked. Jack nodded and watched as Mama rallied the girls, giving them details of Jason, where he would likely be and why he might have run off. She grabbed her own coat as everyone scattered to their rooms, changing to torn jeans and sweaters, this wasn't work, this was a rescue, none of Mama's cubs got lost without being found, dead or alive.

"He could be at the docks too, or any of the diners close by, we hung around there a lot, there is one with an old pinball machine he liked to play," Jack explained, "His hair is black now, not red but not many are going to be running around here in a school uniform."

The girls all nodded and headed out, scattering into the streets to tell their sisters and aunts that they had a missing kid that needed to be found. Jack got back into the car, Mama sliding into the passenger seat with two other girls hopping in to the back. 

They raced for the docs, throwing open the doors when they got there and started looking for any sign of Jason. Jack got out his phone and frantically called Bruce to let him know that Jason was not at Mama's and he had the entire house looking for him. The silence on the other end was concerning but Bruce's breathing became labored and Jack knew that the man was panicking.

"I'll call Gordon, keep looking," Bruce said and hung up. Jack almost threw his phone but pocketed it and started calling for his son, scared that the boy might actually turn up at the docs, but not breathing. The girls and Mama started a perimeter search and Jack was looking through windows and climbing storage compartments. No sign of the boy came up and they went to the next place. Girls called Mama from all over the area, telling her that Jason hadn't been at any of the diners or pubs. Everyone seemed willing to keep their eyes open for him but not ready to give up any information that could be helpful. Jack was beginning to lose what little sanity he had left and looked ready to slit the throat of the next man who came up with a flippant 'I don't know.'

"He's just a fucking kid!" Jack snarled into the face of the man who used to let him listen to his radio. "Barely fifteen, black hair, we were in here all the time!"

"I know, I know, but he wasn't here! I swear!" Even the bar keep knew that Joker wasn't exactly tamed. Mama grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him off the man who fell back against the wall.

"Breath, we can't waste time killing anyone who says no," Mama explained, "Come on, think, where else would he hide?"

"I don't know, I..." Joker paced the floor, his hands clutching at his hair as he tried to think where this kid would be. He was walking circles when he heard the radio cut out and static filled the diner. Joker whipped around, the memory of Riddler still fresh in his mind and for a moment he thought that maybe the man's voice would softly fill the diner with another one of his puzzles.

"Hello Gotham," The voice wheezed, wet and raspy with an undertone of dark intent. Joker snarled and lunged at the machine, choking when Mama grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. "I have something that belongs to a certain man, I picked it up at a corner store, a gift, you could call it..."

"Jack!" Jason's voice was shrill and slurred, the boy was either drugged or breaking out of some kind of sleep, "He's planning to burn Wayne Tower...!"

The sound of skin on skin contact sounded and Jason cried out, coughing but continued to scream out for help. Harish had Jason and Joker was out the door running, he would meet Bruce there if he had too, and knowing Gordon he already had police on the way. Harish probably had wanted them to guess where he was, using the smoke from the fire as his only clue. Jason had thought fast and Joker was thankful for it but now Harish was without a plan and that was dangerous. Joker didn't plan on giving him much time to think about killing the boy, he may be halfway across the city but he knew how to make it to Wayne Tower blind folded, he would not only make it there, he would crawl up the side of the building to get to Jason.

He was running down the road when he heard sirens, whipping around he watched the police vehicle stop and Gordon's voice came out of the mic.

"Get in!" He snapped, opening the passenger side of the car and Joker jumped in, the car already revving to high gear before the door even closed. The two men were completely silent, heart beats the only sound they could each hear as Gordon jumped the curb on the busy city street and raced for Wayne Tower, ramming through a car parked outside and nearly driving up the stairs before hitting the brakes. People were flooding out of the building, smoke was already bellowing out from the lower levels.

"What happened?!" Gordon ordered, grabbing a woman who was running for safety.

"We don't know, the place just started to burn!"

"He wanted everyone out," Joker said. He looked around and made a risky calculation. He lunged for Gordon and grabbed his gun. There was a shout and barely a struggle before Joker was rushing into the building and going right for the stairs. Harish would be in Bruce's office and with the building burning around his ears there wouldn't be anyone to stop him. The smoke burned his lungs and blinded him but Joker had a promise to keep and he rushed up the stairs. His legs cramped and his body screamed at him to turn and leave, the heat of the fire beginning to crawl higher and higher as the fire travelled up the floors. There was very little time to make it, Harish must have set fire to a stairway or the ventilation system, the place was going down fast.

Joker made it to the executive floor, panting and sweaty in nothing but his jeans and sweater. He rushed the office and broke down the door with speed and brute force, falling into the office with the sound of screams.

Jason lay bruised and bloody on the floor, tears and snot running down his delicate face but there was relief in his eyes as he spotted Joker and he smiled, blood running between his teeth. Joker stood up, gun in hand as he looked up at Harish standing by the window with a crowbar in hand.

"You're little assistant hit me with this," He said and swung the bar, "So I punished him for it, since you seem to let him run wild, children need discipline."

"Like your patients in Russia?" Joker snarled "Like us in Arkham? Did we deserve to be punished?"

"Oh yes," Harish said, turning to face Joker who got a look at him and laughed. Harish was a mess of stitches and missing teeth. Jason must have gotten him square in the mouth because the man's smile was jagged and bloody. Joker laughed as he raised the run up, his breathing so ragged that drool was beginning to run down the corner of his mouth. Harish stood full height and swung the crowbar with a threat in his remaining eye.

"You're a lost cause Jack, you can't be helped, so I'm obliged to put you down," Harish growled, swinging the crowbar hard enough to leave cracks in Bruce's desk, "You are a danger to yourself,"

"You know what...I've heard it before... and it wasn't funny the first time," Joker hissed and readied the gun, "Now, let's finish this."


	6. Joker

The fire continued to climb the building and Joker knew he only had so much time before the floors started to give way. He didn't have time to plan out something perfect for the man who tortured him and Bruce, who beat his kid with a crowbar. Jason was struggling against his bonds as Harish charged at them and all Joker could do was turn and run. He didn't want to abandon Jason in that office but he had to get Harish out of there to buy Jason enough time to get loose and escape. Harish was still sloppy and sluggish and Joker was able to skid around corners and duck around desks as Harish started shooting.

"You know you want this, Jack," Harish said "To be released from your deepest pains."

"You don't know what I want," Joker drawled, pulling out his own gun and looking over his battle ground. He had very little space to move, this wasn't like his stand with TwoFace. Harish was unpredictable and he would take every advantage he could. There were no ticks that made the man easy to read and he could weasel his way into Joker's head. Joker knew he was outmatched and out smarted but he couldn't let Harish leave this building with a heart beat. This was there last stand, his last battle and if he didn't make it that was fine, so long as he took Harish to Hell with him.

"No?" Harish asked "You want release, Jack, you want it to end, you can't tell me you don't. You can't keep up your little game with Bruce Wayne, someone will know that under all that beautiful makeup is a broken man, a murderer and psychopath."

"You can't play mind games with me Doc, I invented them," Joker hissed, "Besides, if you believe you are doing so good, then why didn't you simply go back home, Russia not good enough for you?"

A shot was fired and Joker ducked behind another computer, the sound of exploding plastic echoing with the roar of flames just under their feet.

"We will both burn here Jack!" Harish snarled, "This entire building will collapse with us in it!"

"I don't see a problem with that plan, Doc, let's be honest!" Joker laughed and saw a streak of black run across his vision. Jason was racing for the fire escape and the click of a cocked gun had Joker moving. He drove forwards as the gun let off a shot, crying out when the bullet dug deep into his shoulder and out the other side.

"Jack!" Jason screamed, reaching out for him.

"For once in your life, just run!" Joker howled, half shocked that the boy actually turned and bolted down the stairs, too hurt and too scared to argue with him. Another shot rang out and Joker dove for the nearest cover.

"Do you think your little act will keep up?" Harish asked as he circled the floor. Joker moved to keep hidden, watching his blood drip along the floor and realizing that hiding wasn't an option. Somewhere under him metal beams groaned and started to bend and break. The fire continued to burn and the building was beginning to collapse under their feet.

"This entire building will fall out from under us," Joker snarled "And when we're both dead, who will give a fuck? We are criminals doc, no one gives a shit for the bad guy, we're expendable!"

"So, you admit that you will die here?" Harish asked, "You would take your own life?"

"No, you took my life," Joker hissed, jumping out of hiding and taking a shot. Harish howled in pain as the bullet took him out at the knee, dropping him. Joker rushed him, jumping on the man's back with the intent to strangle him, he wanted to feel the final breath leave his lungs. Harish thrashed and reached around himself to try and grab him, pawing at his legs and trying to claw the man off him. Joker's arms were wrapped tightly around Harish's neck, dropping his weight down to force the man's head back.

Joker clung to him, hissing as he was tossed around on the man's back. He felt the heat against his skin, the smoke was blinding and the fire was licking along the doors and vents. He was too late to save himself and at this height he would be lucky to leave with anything left of him. He had no armor, just his sweater and jeans, he had come to save Jason, not himself. Harish was screaming as his face started to turn purple, with the lack of air already in the room, the strangulation was taking its toll.

Desperate to get Joker off his back, Harish slammed his back into a wall, trying to dislodge the smaller man. Joker grunted as his body collided with the wall but he held strong. His feet dug into the man's spine, using it as leverage and grabbed on to Harish's tie and pulled. The larger man wheezed, clawing at the silk around his neck, trying to reach around himself, pulling at Joker's jeans and sweater but couldn't quite reach far enough to get a grip at him.

"I wanted to kill you with something more than a silk tie, doc, I wanted to watch you bleed, I wanted to beat you bloody and inject you with enough of your own medicine that you saw Harleen, Jervis and Ed again, that they could look you in the eye and _**LAUGH!** _"__

__Joker tossed his head back, his laughter echoing as the floor under them started to crumble. Joker yanked on the silk, tightening it further and Harish gargled. Desperate to get the man off him, Harish spun himself like some kind of demented dancer, faster and faster until Joker lost his grip and flew off his back. Harish gasped for breath, what little air left in the office barely filling his lungs, more smoke than oxygen climbing down his throat. Joker was still laughing as he stood up and rushed him again, leaving his sanity and reason behind as he jumped Harish again, green eyes wild and looking for blood. He jammed his thumbs into the man's eyes, screaming a laugh as Harish roared, stitches popping and blood streaming down his face like the oceans tears he had caused. He grabbed Joker by the scruff and threw him across the room, charging him with whatever demonic force still fueling him. Joker got up and dashed for the stairs, running for the roof, laughing the entire way. He threw open the door and slammed the heavy steel door into the man's face. Harish screamed and threw open the door, Joker bounding back and running for the edge, jumping up on to it and raising his arms as if to fly._ _

__"This is your big moment Doctor! This is what you have done! You burned down a building trying to prove what? That you can beat a child an inch to his life? That I'm a lost cause, that Bruce Wayne spends way too much money on a fucking tower?" Joker laughed again, smoke billowing behind him and flames licking at his feet and legs. The sound of shattering glass and burning plaster echoed around them as things started to give out around them._ _

__"I could have made you better!" Harish howled "Wayne was your addiction, he was a drug to you and that child was a danger, he was enabling you!"_ _

__"Bruce Wayne is dead!" Joker howled, "He died with his parents, you tried to revive a child in the body of a man, Bruce Wayne no longer exists, you blind bitch, all that's left is Batman! Just like me! Just like the man who desperately stood on stages to make people laugh and failed! A man who tried his damndest to provide for a pregnant wife, that man died with her and you are too fucking stupid to see that! I'm a dead man with a beating heart Harish and Batman is all I have!"_ _

__"You fell in love with an idea," Harish snarled, trying to wipe the blood pouring out of his eyes._ _

__"I fell in love with a man, you just hated that idea," Joker snapped, side stepping along the edge of the building, squinting when spotlights lit up the sky. He could hear the sirens and hoses that were already running, he could smell the chemical foam that would kill the flames that were eating away whatever was left and melting the golden W now scorched black. He could feel the tremble of the building as it weakened, holding on with barely a thread left and Joker knew he was going down this time, there wasn't coming back from this fall._ _

__"You can't love, you don't have the capability for it, the best you can do is obsess," Harish drawled as he approached, arms open wide as if to embrace him. "Come down from there, and we will make you all better, Jack, and then you can finally rest."_ _

__"I have rested, in the arms of a man who has kissed my soul goodnight and left me feeling grounded for once in my life, and no medicine can replace that," Joker breathed and his thoughts went to Bruce, "I will never be better, I can't get better, you can't cure me but the voices in my head are silenced by the sound of laughter."_ _

__"You are delusional, Jack!" Harish howled, steps away from him as the smaller man dropped his arms and smiled with tears running down his face, from smoke or emotion it was hard to tell but he looked down at Harish and something inside his mind let go._ _

__"No," Jack whispered, crouching down, striking out and grabbing the man's tie one more time, "For once in my life...I see crystal clear."_ _

__He jumped._ _

__Harish squealed like a pig as his tie suddenly became taut once more, the full weight of Jack's body coming down on his neck with a sickening snap and the rest of him fell forwards lifelessly and followed Jack down. He could hear screams and as the floors continued to pass by faster and faster. He thought that this was a good way to end. He closed his eyes and let the tie slip from his grasp, Harish's dead body rushing past him._ _

__Jack wished he could have at least said goodbye to Jason, to tell Bruce how much he had saved him, he wished he could have told Dick that this wasn't his fault because he probably was blaming himself. Jack had a million and one wishes going through his head while the ground came up to meet him._ _

__"I love you Bats..." He whispered before everything went black._ _

__

__

__The building collapsed, the fire eating away the foundation and everything else inside. Wayne Tower was nothing more than ash and rubble. Bruce Wayne had made it to the scene, almost crashed through the police barricade, screaming that his son was inside, begging the men to let him pass. Gordon rushed forward, holding Bruce back as the much larger man barely kept himself under control._ _

__When Jason had run out, breathless and bloody with tears in his eyes he threw himself at Bruce speaking gibberish and Bruce gathered him in his arms and held him tight, his own words lost in red roots and black dye. The boy was taken away by ambulance and Bruce was forced to watch as his father's legacy burn away, but worse yet was seeing the men on the roof, once being Harish, the other Joker. The smaller man was standing on the edge of the building, arms open wide as the spotlight silhouetted his form, turning him into a ringmaster about to perform a trick. He was forced to stand there and watch as Joker vanished from view for only a moment and then suddenly...he jumped._ _

__All of Wayne Enterprise watched as the Clown Prince of Gotham vanished into the smoke and flames of the burning building and then nothing. Moments before he could even think about rushing forwards to look for the man, the building gave a horrendous scream and started to collapse. Floor by floor, story by story the building folded in on itself and fell into nothing more than ash and plaster. Bruce felt his entire body freeze, knowing that Jack was now somewhere under all that mess and that there was no way in seven hells that he survived it._ _

__The fall itself might not have killed him, but the entire building falling right on top of whatever was left? Joker had no chance._ _

__Bruce's vision blurred and his feet carried him forwards, he looked at what was left of the building and just stood frozen among the carnage. He felt like he had lost everything all over again, nothing could compare to the death of his parents but his father had built everything they had and that building was all that was left of his work. Under all of it, all of the rubble, gold, steel and glass was what was left of Jack. He wanted to scream, he wanted to fall on all that shrapnel of Wayne Tower and let his heart shatter on top of it all. He wavered and a pair of powerful arms caught him before he fell and he looked to see Lucian at his side._ _

__"Come on," He said and pulled him away from it all, a coat was thrown over his head to hide him from the heartless that had gathered. Gordon's familiar presence was at his side as he was suddenly rushed away, Alfred already standing by with the car door open. Lucian helped him inside the car and Richard was ushered in after him by Louis Lane herself, a look of horrified worry in her eyes. She said nothing as she closed the door, two sharp hits to the roof of the vehicle and Alfred was driving them away._ _

__Silence was too loud but both men had nothing to say. Bruce still had Gordon's coat around his shoulders and Richard had collapsed against the door. Alfred had the separating window open just to hear his two boys breath as he drove them through Gotham, taking as many detours as needed so he didn't have to stop the car._ _

__"We have to go to the hospital first," Bruce's voice was quiet, "Jason looked bad."_ _

__"Master Bruce..."_ _

__"No! He's all we have of him right now," Bruce demanded, "And I should be the one to tell him."_ _

__"Yes sir," Alfred sighed and took the next exit towards Gotham General, "Sir, what do we tell the world?"_ _

__"Nothing," Bruce whispered as he curled into himself, his forehead pressing against his knees, arms wrapping around his legs. Alfred felt his heart break for the man who was a son to him in everything but blood. Bruce had been through torture, most of it self inflicted, and barely flinched, but seeing this man made of glass finally shatter in to pieces was painful for him._ _

__"Alright, son, Jason it is," Alfred whispered, unheard by those in the back and the prayer in his soul for Jack's own would never pass his lips, there was no God, but that didn't mean he couldn't try._ _

__"Goodbye Jack," Bruce whispered and Richard pretended not to hear the sobs the larger man made as his heart broke apart._ _


	7. Jagged

Bruce, Alfred and Richard sat around Jason's bed as he continued to sleep restlessly. The doctors told them that once the adrenaline had worn off from his escape, he had passed out from the pain and stress from the beating. His ribs were broken, orbital fracture that had needed surgery and a shocking list of minor breaks and fractures. There were some minor burns from the fire, smoke inhalation and other bone damage from the beatings, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. Jason would live and be able to leave in a couple weeks and be back in school in a couple months.

Alfred offered to simply tutor the boy, school obviously wasn't going to work, and after what had happened they didn't want to risk the backlash from his peers. Jason was a tough kid but had a short fuse and they didn't want to pay off the school board if some kid got their hands caught in the paper shredder for saying the wrong thing. Kids were mean and they would use his kidnapping and beat down against him and Jason wasn't known for playing nice.

"He's smart," Bruce said, guilt dripping from his voice, "School would just bore him anyways, we never should have sent him to begin with."

"This isn't your fault," Richard whispered, looking at the young man laying in bed, sedated and resting well for the time being. Bruce had paid off the doctors to let them stay past visiting hours, Alfred had brought in coffee and cookies sometime ago but they were mostly untouched. Bruce was getting call after call after call until he had finally lost what little control he had left and threw his phone out the window. Richard turned his off after the calls started coming in on his end, everyone at the tower would be wondering what happened to their jobs, but Bruce had a kid to worry about and a lover to mourn. He didn't want to think of the hundreds of men and women who would be paid to work from home until everything was rebuilt. Lucian could look after it while Bruce was with his family, Jason needed him more than the board and his employees.

"We could have done something," Bruce hissed, distressed that he hadn't been there, that the one time he had needed to be somewhere he wasn't. 

"Done what? We were half way out of the city looking for Jason, we didn't have time to go back and suit up and the damn tower was burning when we got there, what could we have done?" Richard asked, "We were too late to help and Jason is here and Harish is dead, there was one casualty and..." Richards' voice broke as he thought about Jack, having seen him jump off the building like it was nothing.

"He chose to jump," Alfred said softly into the silence, "But he took that bastard with him."

The silence was heavy as each man fell into their own thoughts, trying to piece together fractions of what was left. Bruce slowly started to collapse onto Jason's bed, head resting deep into his arms as he fell slowly to sleep. Alfred watched as Richard curled in the chair, his body contorting in ways that only an acrobat could pull off. He found some of the spare blankets to cover the men, running his hand over Richard's young face and when he approached Bruce all he could do was rest his hands on his shoulders. Bruce had been many things, troubled and possibly unstable but the months he had spent with Jack he was almost okay. Batman vanished to make way for Joker and Richard took up his own mantle and took to the streets. Bruce was a broken child in the body of a man and Alfred spent years trying to revive and piece together jagged edges of a dismantled boy. He watched his son by name alone risk his life for decades and seeing him stay in and actually sleep was something he treasured and he felt guilty for it because he knew that Bruce was hurting deeper than before. Alfred just wanted the man he raised to be happy and it was painful to see the one thing that was bringing a bit of light into such a dark place drop hundreds of stories and crumble to nothing.

All Bruce had was anger, spite and vengeance wrapped up in a bat costume that barely kept him alive. Jack brought something out of him and Alfred hadn't seen in years, a spark and a warmth that Bruce lost years ago.

Jason was going to be heartbroken when he woke up too, his only friend and guardian was under thousands of tons of rubble and rock and they would have to tell him that Jack wasn't coming home.

Alfred found his seat and simply watched the little family. Each broken in their own way, shattered and jagged like glass long forgotten from a thrown bottle. He knew he would never be able to find all the missing pieces and glue them back but he understood that they held themselves together the best they could. He was no saint himself, Alfred knew his own flaws, he knew he had troubles, fuck he let them go every night despite the internal howling to make them stay home. He knew what he was, he knew his own sharp edges and how he could make a man bleed, and like the sleeping children around him, he counted on his family to keep him from falling apart. He fell asleep in his chair, head bowed against his hands with slouched shoulders and back that would protest loudly in the morning but even old soldiers need sleep.

When morning arrived, Bruce watched as Jason started to slowly come too. The young man's eyes opened and he gave a ragged cough as he tried to sit himself up.

"Stay down, Jason, you're in the hospital," Bruce explained softly. Jason turned his head to look at him, brilliant blue eyes glazed over with pain. The boy was smart, as Bruce had said, and it was Bruce at his bedside, not Jack and the calculations came to the conclusion that Bruce was still too wounded to admit. Jason looked around the room the best he could, spotting everyone and with trembling lips he looked up at Bruce, the little lights in his eyes fading. 

"Did he at least take Harish with him?" Jason asked, tears bubbling up and dripping slowly down his bruised face. Bruce took a deep breath and held it as he nodded, admitting that Jack wouldn't be coming back to not just the boy but himself also. Jason nodded too looking up at the ceiling with his arms coming up to cover his eyes. He silently wept for the only man he considered a friend and father figure. 

"We'll look after you," Bruce promised, standing so he could sit in the hospital bed. Jason was so much smaller than he remembered in a hospital gown and tangled in wires and tubes. Jason curled himself like a cat around Bruce's hip and legs, nuzzling into him as tears soaked through sheets and trousers. Richard moved to the abandoned chair, curling himself back into a ball as Bruce shifted more on to the bed, letting Jason rest against him.

"Master Bruce," Alfred's voice was soft as he came in with bags of food, "Someone wishes to visit sir."

"I said no visitors," Bruce growled and Alfred nodded, but didn't turn to shoo the guests away. 

"They insisted, sir," Alfred stepped back to allow Barbara to wheel in with her father, no words were exchanged but an understanding filled the void. Gordon set Barbara beside Richard and took a silent seat to allow the family their privacy. Barbara took Richard's hand in her own leaning against his arm while Bruce ran fingers through Jason's hair. The room was eerily quiet but no one wanted to talk about what had happened, what had been lost.

Gordon had come through a mob of people who were trying to get through doors that were being guarded by enough security that he had to flash his badge twice . Having a crippled young woman helped, barely, to get him to where he had wanted to be but finding Alfred got the rest of the staff off his ass. He would sit outside the door later, but for now he just wanted to see the youngest of the family breath for a moment. Jason was a pain in the ass but he was still a kid, he had come running like a bat out of hell, bloody and broken with a bruised face and his body running on nothing but sheer feral will. Everyone had scattered to find him and no one had thought to look under their nose. The news was all over the site and, from what Bruce could understand, all over the hospital. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, everyone wanted to know where Bruce Wayne was. Everyone wanted to know something but right now no one wanted to talk about it, it was almost criminal to even dare speak about the pain that was still fresh in their hearts. Gordon was looking at sharp edges and broken pieces of a glass house that had exploded, the family was trembling and scared and even Alfred looked ready to simply drop where he stood. Barbara had cried herself unconscious before demanding they go to the hospital and short of sitting on her, he wouldn't be able to stop her. 

Jason was collapsed on Bruce's lap, he looked highly uncomfortable but he didn't want to let the man go. His face was bruised and half his body was a nasty shades of black and blue, with hints of greens and yellows as more and more bruising came to the surface. The young man had seen hell and spat in it's face before, but sometimes when something bites you back it's too much and losing Jack had taken a piece of his heart that couldn't be replaced. Bruce comforted him the best he could, Richard and Barbara leaning on to one another and in the background stood Alfred who quietly suffered alone. Gordon offered his chair to the butler and headed out of the room to sit and stand guard, the last thing they needed was for someone to break through and ask about a dead man or about the fall of Wayne tower. The media would have a hay day if Bruce lost his temper and broke someone's nose, or worse.

Jagged edges made for easy wounds and he didn't want to arrest anyone for assault, not today, not after so much tragedy. They would be stuck in the hospital for weeks, the least he could do was give them some kind of piece. He made the call, Bruce didn't need any more problems on top of his entire empire falling out from under his feet, and after a kidnapping it wouldn't be hard to convince someone to stand guard of the poor kid. He sat in that hall until most of the staff headed home and came back for their next shift. He had watched Alfred step in and out of the room, his daughter and Richard come and go, the only one he never saw was Bruce. The man was a mountain that could barely be moved but even stone could be broken and Gordon knew that sometimes it was better to just let the pieces lay where they fell. He didn't want to be the one to celebrate the possible fall of Batman but it would be a true miracle if Bruce finally took a breath and let himself be human for once in his life.

"Commissioner," Alfred's voice was rough and the circled under his eyes were prominent and matched the blood shooting through the man's eyes. "I'm taking Miss. Gordon home, shall I take you too?"

"No, I can drive, I have a guy coming to take my place, get some sleep, old man," He said and Alfred gave a soft huff.

"I wonder what you must think of me," Alfred said and looked down at the officer who had been there to help a child in need. Gordon had been the one to toss a coat over Bruce after his parents had been killed and again after the building collapsed and the media tried to swarm him.

"I think you're just a man trying to keep his kids alive," Gordon said simply, "I think...you're just another soldier in a war that can't be stopped by brute force."

"I think that war may be coming to an end," Alfred smiled, "Do you think me terrible for being relieved?"

"I'd be a hypocrite if I did," Gordon said softly as Barbara came out of the room looking way too tired for someone her age. "Hey pumpkin, I'll be home soon, alright?"

"Don't stay out too late, Dad," Barbara smiled at him, her own red eyes and cheeks cracked her Father's heart but he wouldn't let that show. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head and let Alfred take her away.

"You should go home too," Richard's voice was sandpaper in his throat. Gordon looked up at the boy, no...a man now. Gordon wondered if Richard will ever stop losing parents, his birth parents murdered in a horrible accident and now another parental figure. He wondered how long it would be before Bruce ran too far down his own path that he met the end of it faster than necessary. He could almost hear the funeral march, Richard didn't deserve that, not after he had been through so much already.

"I'll head out when my other guy shows up," Gordon chased the thought of death, he was in a Hospital, he couldn't think like that, "I made a call, I won't take a risk."

"I think we can look after ourselves," Richard commented and Gordon felt the sharpness in the tone.

"I know you can, but should you?" He asked, standing when he saw the civilian clothed officer step out of the elevator. Richard watched as Gordon passed his watch to another man, swaying slightly as he headed for the elevator and vanishing inside. He looked down at the officer who pulled a book out from a backpack and started to read, he wasn't there to even look intimidating. Gordon was leaving them with a babysitter and he wanted to feel insulted but there was a relief in his heart that made him smile. The man who just days ago was cussing them all out because of his daughter's injury was leaving them with someone who he trusted to make sure they would be okay.

"Should I let the Commissioner know?" The officer asked, peeking up from under his hat, "That you're grateful?"

"Honestly, I think he already knows," Richard said softly.

"Yeah, but sometimes it's good to hear it," He said and Richard nodded, "I'll let him know."

"Thanks," Richard backed into the room and closed the door, turning to the sleeping figures of father and son in the hospital bed. Nurses and Doctors had been in and out and every time had to ask Bruce to step away and to keep out of the bed but that never stopped him from crawling back in and letting Jason koala himself back against him. Nightmares were plaguing them all but having the giant of a man protect him allowed Jason some kind of peace. Bruce was barely able to sleep but at least whatever moments of peace he found were gentle on him. Richard sat in a chair on the far end of the room, a bit jealous that Jason was getting this part of Bruce, the man and not the bat. Jack had taken whatever torn and ripped pieces that he had found and sewn them together in some kind of mad puzzle, putting together what was not possible, taking pieces of himself and shoving them into the spaces that had been forgotten. He was laughter, noise and something they had long since forgotten.

Jack had been their fun, a strange comfort that sanded down all their rough edges smooth. He took their sharp and rough pieces and brought them together, he wasn't the glue that kept them together, but he had been the one to show them how to fit. He had shown them things about one another that was impossible to see otherwise. He showed them who Bruce was, the man that was the mask for the vigilante that was the truth. He had shown Richard that he was not ever going to be Batman and he shouldn't want to be and gave him something else to strive for. He gave Jason a home and something to be other than angry. He even gave Alfred something to be, he showed him that he wasn't just a background character in Batman's story. Jack had silently been more than just someone else that needed saving, if anything he had saved them all in his own strange way.

Jack was the hero they all silently needed. He had been something more to each of them while not knowing it himself. He left his own little mark on them all, laughing his way into their life before jumping out of it like a true showman would.

He had saved the city he had watched burn at his feet.

He had saved the people he had tortured with his own hands.

He had saved the man he had said he couldn't live without.

He had saved himself and then killed the man who claimed he wasn't worth saving.

Richard believed that wherever Jack was, he was laughing.

Jack was laughing, and that's all that mattered, because it was laughter that he treasured the most.

Richard laughed, because it was what Jack had wanted.


	8. Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: These are their current ages in my head! I know it’s not canon, but this story isn’t cannon either so...deal with it?
> 
> Barbara - 21/22  
> Richard - 19/10  
> Jason - 16/17  
> Tim - 14/15  
> Damien - 9/10

Jason was in the hospital for nearly a month, his injuries more severe than they had though. He had needed his eyes checked over and over again just to be sure that his vision was not impaired. He was forced to be in a wheelchair for a couple more months just so his body could heal properly. Bruce knew the boy would hate it but Jason took it at face value and called up Barbara, letting her know that for the next little while they could be chair buddies.

The two of them became almost inseparable while they raced around the manor, Richard pushing around his brother while Wally joined in to the games to push Barbara. They had to make rules for the games so that injuries were safe as well as any valuables displayed around the house. Self control was not usually something any of them had but they kept the chase to the grand entrance area, their laughter echoing through the halls as they played.

Bruce watched from the stairs, a sad smile spread over his face as his children howled in delight as they raced around. The rug long since pushed away to allow better movement, the floor scuffed while Wally and Richard ran around sock footed so they could slide along polished floors. Barbara and Jason were playing a strange form of tag and their chaos was too innocent to stop now. Bruce felt better with laughter in the house, it was too quiet without it. He watched his children as they played, most of them were adults but he had a hand in raising each of them, Wally included.

The red head slipped on the slick floor and tumbled into Richard, their faces both flushing pink but smiles that reached their eyes was familiar. Bruce felt that his eldest would at least be in good hands. Barbara wolf whistled and Jason laughed, he was still so broken and the heartache of losing Jack would haunt him for a time yet but the sound of his laughter was healing enough for now. They would be fine, and that was all Bruce could ask for, for now.

Time was passing slowly and with so many emotions that some days Bruce couldn’t keep up. Jason would throw tantrums and sometimes throw his things. Bruce watched the boy break apart only to put him together again just to watch him shatter again when he realized Jack wasn’t there. Nightmares plagued him so deeply that Bruce forgot to sleep some nights, so he took up his mantle again, going out on the days he just couldn’t bring himself to go to bed. Batman returned to Gotham with very little flare, perching like a gargoyle high in the city canopy. Some nights he was alone, other nights he sat with Nightwing, and others he would be alone with a voice in his ear as Barbara whispered whatever comfort she could from her own little cave in her apartment.

Jason started physical therapy two months after his release, it was slow but soon he was on his feet with the help of a cane. He enjoyed whipping it at everyone’s knees and wielding it as some kind of weapon. Alfred took it upon himself to teach the boy fencing when Jason broke one too many trinkets, giving him something to do while he healed. Jason soaked up the information as Alfred quizzes him on maths and history, testing him both mentally and physically. Jason seemed to perk back up, bouncing back under Alfred’s care, his cane slowly being forgotten as he chased after Richard and slid along the floors when he thought no one was watching. His energy now focused less on healing and more on training. Bruce hadn’t intended for Jason to become one of his birds but when he saw Jason tearing one of his hoodies apart and sewing a red hood on to one of his black sweaters he knew that he wasn’t going to win the argument. Jason couldn’t even be contained, he was deadly and Bruce had to rein him in on a couple of occasions, it was impossible to get information out of a dead body after all.

Jason took up the mantle in memory of Jack, his hoodie covering the Kevlar armor, a red bat symbol silk screened to the chest and Harley’s diamond pattern on his shoulders in Joker’s beautiful purple. The boy wore a deep crimson mask as his thick red hair grew out, the black completely cut away to show off the ginger months ago. He was a flame in the dark and a smile always glowing as he attacked with little mercy, no one could stop him. Alfred took the boy under his wing when the teen picked up a gun for the first time and turned on a criminal, taking him out at the knees and letting him bleed on the road. Bruce had wanted to protest but Jason had told him that batterangs and smoke screens were not something he could work with, he knew how to shoot, he knew how a gun worked, it was something he was familiar with.

Bruce didn’t know how to shoot, he hated guns and it took every fiber of his soul not to rip the weapon away from Jason and tell him no. Alfred promised Bruce that he would never see guns in The Cave. He took the boy out to safe shooting ranges, taught him how to take a gun apart, put it back together, and take it apart again. He ripped the weapon apart, tossed it into the grass and told the kid to fetch and while Jason glared he went after it and put it back together again. Alfred would not have Jason die because of a misfire, a knife was much more reliable, but a gun could get a point across faster.

The first time Jason shot his own handgun, Alfred pressed his hands against the boy’s ear protectors and pressed a kiss on them. Jason’s aim was true, going for the elbows, hips and knees, debilitating but not lethal. Jason would not be a killer but his steady aim would put someone out from a block away if he kept it up. This teen would give Dead Shot something to think about. His mask was altered to protect his eyes and he wore two ear pieces for protection and communication. His hood was modified with little devil horns and soon his sweater was just decoration as his suit was updated to protect his body and his mask became a full helmet with a computer access, scope and full access to police profiles. He had full voice to text access to Richard, Bruce, Barbara and Alfred in a coded private chat but he could also get in contact with anyone from the Tower and to Gordon if he was in a pinch. He could also call up the Emergency Line and if his aim was just a little too off he could get a medical team on scene if needed.

He could be seen crouched with his hood up around the red light district waving at Mama and her girls. He had added each one of them to his contacts when he found them around the streets, telling them he would drop everything if they ever needed him. Jason was firmly established as Gotham’s Red Hooded Devil, Red Hood for short, within the year. His education under Alfred’s watch and his training regime with Bruce, Richard and the Butler left the young man powerful, clever and almost impossible to catch. Jason Todd was deadly, accurate and his body count was still zero despite his weapon of choice. Bruce even caved and allowed the boy to practice in the cave, a shooting range being set up in the far corner with all his weaponry and other guns set up like a promise by Alfred himself.

The boy had the promise to become the best marksman before he even became an adult.

That is, until he made his first kill. He had done it for a reason though, he had explained to Batman, to Alfred, to Nightwing and even to the kid he had saved a dozen times just to make himself better. The boy was barely two years younger than him but looked so much smaller, with thin arms and his ribs showing, the street rat had been screaming from inside a rundown building on his patrol route. Red Hood had crashed in through the boarded up window to find the young teen sprawled out on the floor with blood dripping from a split lip and a man hovering over him with a gun in hand.

Red Hood had a faster draw and better aim. The man fell with a bullet between his eyes before he even knew someone had come through the window.

The boy, Tim Drake, lay crying on the floor, telling him that he had been there for weeks as a kidnapped victim. His parents were wealthy and this man had wanted their money in return for his safety, but they had never responded to the ransom. Red Hood relayed the message to Oracle, who relayed the message to her father. This was when the poor boy learned that his parents had been killed, they had found Tim’s own blood at the scene and the police force had been looking for his body ever since. Tim had been living off scraps and piss water for weeks and now with the knowledge of his parent’s death the boy broke.

Not knowing what else to do, Jason brought the boy home. Tim had no family and, to be frank, Bruce would understand him better than any of them. He warned everyone that he was bringing home a new friend and was expecting an argument. What they got was a welcome wagon, with Alfred wrapping the young man in a blanket and offering him a glass of fresh water and Bruce offering him a home.

The family grew by one and Bruce adopted the boy with no fuss, putting the kid’s money away behind lock and key until he was old enough to manage it himself. Tim dove head first into training, unlike Richard who had and acrobatic background from the circus and Jason who was streetwise and toughened from years of living in the red district, he was as green as baby leaf.

Tim couldn’t throw a batterang or even pull himself up with a grappling gun but he kept on trying. He had help from Richard and the entire Young Justice Team seemed determined to help. Garfield showed up to help with Me’Gan and Conner, Wally bounding in to help the new ‘Baby Bird’ Robin who was tangling himself up with his own cape.

With Conner came Clark, who always had this sad smile on his face and no matter what Bruce did he just couldn’t figure out what was bothering the man. He had asked several hundred times and Clark would always answer with a shake of his head or a ‘I can’t tell you that.’

Bruce stopped bothering him about it and focused on his kids, he has three of them now and they were well trained fighters, so when arguments broke out it got deadly. Jason’s tantrums were always loud and he seemed content with taking his anger out on the targets in the cave while Tim’s anger came slowly and silently until it finally exploded. He became a danger more to himself than to anyone around him, something Bruce understood and could cool down with a boxing match and a good long talk.

Richard had Wally to help him when things got to be too much, so despite the broken down family things started to finally stabilize. Bruce’s tower was still under construction so meetings were being held in his own home, his large ballroom becoming a meeting hall and his library transformed into an office-like area for a couple hours a day during the week so things could get done. He promised everyone that things would go back to normal as soon as the offices were built back up. Jason shied away from the workers, he didn’t want to be bothered so he hid in his Cheshire bunnyhug and would vanish into his room. The other two boys would pop in and out of the library as they felt, Bruce telling anyone who dared scold them that this was their home and they had a right to be anywhere they wanted.

No one argued, and once there was an office building free for use, Bruce rented it out right away and put everyone back to work. His first project was to get his building back up and running and then he opened the Arkham Project, he would not have another Harish problem in his city. There were objections and arguments but he still bought the hospital and tore the name off it like a bad memory and renamed it ‘Napier Mental Institution.’

This was when the questions finally started, almost eight months after Jack vanished did people realize that it wasn’t just a break up. Bruce confirmed and told the press that Jack was away, he had fallen ill and was gone to receive the help he needed. Gotham wasn’t known for it’s great system for the mentally ill, so Bruce was helping him find peace. People tried to dig further but Bruce refused to answer any questions about his former lover. He didn’t tell them what sort of ‘crazy’ he was, in fact he would blow up at them, saying that Jack wasn’t crazy, he was sick, and if the medical system in Gotham didn’t fail every time someone claimed otherwise maybe they wouldn’t have so many mentally ill criminals.

People stopped asking him about Jack after that. People stopped talking to him altogether honestly, he hadn’t heard from many of his cohorts, expect for maybe one.

“I’m leaving,” Selena said softly one night, and Bruce welt a little bit of his heart break away. “Pam and I, we’re leaving...but we wanted to thank you.”

“For what?” Batman asked, turning to face her. Selina smiled and leaned forwards to steal a kiss and stood to look over the city.

“Saving us,” She said “And, you know...the Hospital and everything.”

“That was Joker,” Batman said, “He did all that, I had nothing to do with it.”

“We know,” Selina said, “But he wouldn’t have done it without you, so...thanks, we’ll visit.”

“My door is always open,” Batman looked up and Selina chuckled before leaning down and stealing one last kiss, letting it linger before simply walking away and vanishing into the shadows.

Bruce would miss her, but at least she was safe and with Pam out of the swamplands near the city, maybe people wouldn’t be scared to go there. He wondered who else was still around, he wondered who he and Jack had saved, was Penguin wandering around somewhere? What about Mr. Freeze, was he stashed away in the city somewhere. He didn’t want to go looking for them if they were being quiet, besides, he didn’t have the heart to do it, they deserved some peace after the trauma they had encountered.

“Hey, you alive up there old man?” Red Hood’s voice was clear in his head, sounding all too amused with himself. “I been trying to call you for the past ten minutes.”

“Sorry, what’s wrong?” Batman asked, peeking at the com to see Red Hood’s name pop up several times in the text chat.

“There is a kid here that tried to slit my throat open,” Nightwing’s voice echoed, he could hear Red Hood laughing in the background, “He says he’s yours.”

“I’m sorry,” Bruce’s voice leveled as his own, “Repeat that?”

Red Hood was definitely laughing at him this time as his voice wheezed over Nightwing’s com.

“Say that louder! I didn’t hear it!” Oracle’s own voice joined into the conversation suddenly and Bruce felt his face flush at the sudden family meeting.

“I said!” Nightwing’s voice was clearer this time, “This ankle biting demon tried to cut my head off! He says! He. Is. Batman’s. Son!”

“With what?” Oracle asked,

“What do you mean with what? I would assume with a woman,” Nightwing said and then snapped at Red Hood to stop poking the ‘tied up toddler’.

“I am not a toddler!” A voice snapped, much younger than any of his sons but too cultured for someone his age.

“I meant what did he try to take your head off with!” Oracle was definitely laughing this time.

“A sword, looks like a Samurai's sword, maybe a Katana, so...I’m assuming Talia?” Nightwing huffed, “What do I do with him boss?”

“Well if he claims he’s mine, I suppose we should not only prove it but see what he wants, so bring him in,” Batman sighed and looked up at the sky for a moment to calm his nerves. “Don’t let Red Hood kill him.”

“I would never!” Red Hood giggled, sounding all too pleased with himself.

“I missed something and I hate you guys for not including me,” Robin’s voice was pouty as he finally came into the conversation.

“Snooze you loose!” Red Hood laughed “But it looks like we have another bird in the nest.”

“Oh goody!” Robin’s sounded way too interested in their newest family member but it had to be done, and then he had to call Talia and ask her what the hell happened because he didn’t remember having agreed to this. Had he slept with her, yes, he would admit that he and Talia had been intimate but he had used protection so unless she did something to mess with that, this should not have happened.

He got to the cave to see Richard sitting in the chair with Alfred stitching up his shoulder and Jason hanging from the rafters glaring at a kid who was locked up in the cave’s single jail cell. The boy was like looking in the mirror, bright angry blue eyes and a mess of black hair, there was no denying that this child was his. He picked apart the clothes the boy was wearing, the sword that Jason was taunting him with and the look in the boy’s eyes.

“Does Talia know you’re here?” Bruce asked, pulling the cowl away from his face and kneeling down to look the child in the eye.

“Mother sent me,” He said,

“She ordered you, you mean,” Bruce said and pulled open the door, “What’s your name?”

“Damien,” He muttered, cautiously coming out of the cell with his eyes on Jason, the young teen was grinning wildly as he hung nearly upside down from the cave. Bruce looked up and held his hand out, motioning for the sword. Pouting, Jason dropped the blade and came down from his perch. Catching the sword, Bruce inspected the blade before giving it a couple good swings before presenting it back to Damien.

“Don’t use that in the house, and don’t hurt your brothers with it,” Bruce looked at Alfred “Do we have a spare room for Damien?”

“Several, Master Bruce,” Alfred smiled as he tied the last stitch and let Richard go, “I’ll give the young Master a tour and let him choose something to his liking.”

“Thanks, I have a few calls to make,” Bruce looked back down at Damien, the anger and the resentment in his eyes was something he had seen in a mirror once upon a time.

“Mother said you wouldn’t want me,” Damien spoke, turning his gaze up to a Father he didn’t know, “She said I would have to fight you to stay.”

“I don’t know why your mother sent you here, I don’t even know how you’re even possible, but under my roof and inside these four walls...you’re safe, and that’s what matters,” Bruce smiled and Damien noticed the unshed tears lingering behind glazed eyes.

“Hi, I’m Jason!” Jason bounded over, his voice cracking with excitement as he broke the tension and skidded to a stop at Damien’s side “Welcome to the family!”

“I was born into it,” Damien hissed and was taken aback as Jason laughed, “What is so funny!”

“You make it sound like any of us really choose to be here, we all kinda fell in to Bruce’s lap, just like you,” Tim said, looking up from the computer that he had been working on, “Richard’s parents died and Bruce took him in, my parents were murdered and here I am.”

“And you?” Damien looked up at Damien, the young man smiling his Cheshire grin

“Jack brought me here,” Jason shrugged, “But...he died too, so now Bruce is all I have.”

“Sometimes it’s not the way you come to a family, but the journey you all have together,” Alfred said and offered the boy his hand, “Come along, Master Damien, let’s get you settled and then you can tell me what you want for breakfast.”

“Why does it matter what I want?” Damien tucked his hands in close to his body, not trusting these men, his mother told him they would be cold and brutal and yet in their eyes he saw warmth. His mother warned him about Richard but the other two he knew nothing about, he was outnumbered and out of his element.

“Because everyone gets their favorites on Friday!” Jason smiled, still a bit to excited and Bruce saw right through him. “Fridays are family days, you came just in time kid!”

“He’s right, Damien, you picked quite the day to drop in,” Bruce spoke as he stretched, watching as the boy hesitated but followed Alfred out of the cave, “And Damien, Welcome home, son.”

Bruce watched something spark in those cold, distant eyes and he knew he couldn’t let Talia sink her claws deeper into the poor boy’s soul. He had some calls to make and several things to pass through to his lawyer but he was sure getting custody wouldn’t be a problem.

“Hey, Dad?” Jason was perched on to the railing, swinging his feet and a smile still on his face, a sad one that held a million tears and nightmares hidden behind a mask of a happy child. “Can we not watch Alice in Wonderland today?”

Barbara had chosen the movie this time but the look on Jason’s face broke Bruce’s heart into pieces and he reached out to hug the boy.

“I’m sure we can find something else to watch,” Bruce whispered into ginger hair. Jason nodded against his shoulder, the silence in the cave was calming, but the shaking of the child in his arms and the tears on his shoulder spoke more than words ever could. "Yeah, I miss him too."


End file.
